French Conversation · Level 135
30 words
French word
révérence
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁeveʁɑ̃s/
Meaning
- feminine nounbow
Example
Elle fit une révérence devant le public.
She bowed before the audience.
More examples
Il parlait de son professeur avec révérence.
He spoke of his teacher with reverence.
Core concept
A poised lowering of the body before someone worthy of honor, also a sign of solemn esteem.
Common phrases
faire une révérence
bow
montrer de la révérence
show reverence
Similar words
salut: An informal spoken greeting exchanged with a familiar person.
salutation: A courteous greeting appropriate to a formal occasion.
inclinaison: A gentle forward tilt of the body or head.
Definition in French
Désigne un salut formel par inclinaison, et par extension une preuve d'estime ou de respect solennel.
Word origin
Révérence developed from Latin reverentia, related to revereri, meaning to regard with awe or respect, and entered French through medieval usage.
Usage tips
- Révérence belongs to formal or literary usage, while s'incliner is the more general verb for describing the physical action.
Other meanings
- reverencenoun
Opposites
- mépriscontemptnoun
- insolenceinsolencenoun
Related words
- révérerrevereverb
- révéréreveredadjective