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An act of civility, respect, or reverence, made by women, consisting of a slight depression or dropping of the body, with bending of the kness. [Written also curtsy.] The lady drops a courtesy in token of obedience, and the ceremony proceeds as usual. Golgsmith.

To destroy; to make null. [Obs.] [Profane scoffing] doth . . . deface the reverence of religion. Bacon. For all his power was utterly defaste [defaced]. Spenser.

Quality suited to inspire respect or reverence; loftiness and grace; impressiveness; stateliness; -- said of A letter written with singular energy and dignity of thought Macaulay.

rested and earnest endeavor. And each of them doth all his diligence To do unto the festé reverence. Chaucer.

; to indispose; to make unwilling; to alienate. Careful . . . to disincline them from any reverence or affection to the Queen. Clarendon. To social scenes by nature disinclined. Cowper.

Want of respect or reverence; disesteem; incivility; discourtesy. Impatience of bearing the least affront or disrespect. Pope.

like that of Hudibras. Addison. The ill-spelt lines of doggerel in which he expressed his reverence for the brave sufferers. Macaulay.

Inspiring awe or reverence; awful. [Obs.] "God's dreadful law." Shak.

Respect; reverence; regard; act of respect; homage. "My duty to you." Shak.

To set a high value on; to prize; to regard with reverence, respect, or friendship. Will he esteem thy riches Job xxxvi. 19. You talk kindlier: we esteem you for it. Tennyson.

To go too far; to pass the proper bounds or measure. "In our reverence to whom, we can not possibly exceed." Jer. Taylor. Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed. Deut. xxv. 3.

Apprehension of incurring, or solicitude to avoid, God's wrath; the trembling and awful reverence felt toward the Supreme Belng.

rder; to arrange, or lay away, esp. as papers in a methodical manner for preservation and reverence; to place on file; to insert in its proper place in an arranged body of papers. I would have my several courses and my dishes well filed. Beau. & Fl.

fixed on his head. Shak. O, fix thy chair of grace, that all my powers May also fix their reverence. Herbert. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Ps. cxii. 7. And fix far deeper in his head their stings. Milton.

Having, or acknowledging, no God; without reverence for God; impious; wicked. -- God"less*ly, adv. -- God"less*ness, n.

ncing God, and his character and laws; obedient to the commands of God from love for, and reverence of, his character; conformed to God's law; devout; righteous; as, a godly life. For godly sorrow worketh repentance. 2 Cor. vii. 10.

ly; to set apart for holy or religious use; to consecrate; to treat or keep as sacred; to reverence. "Hallowed be thy name." Matt. vi. 9. Hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work therein. Jer. xvii. 24. His secret altar touched with hallowed fire. Milton. In a larger sense . . . we can not hallow this ground [Gettysburg].…

White or gray with age; hoar; as, hoary hairs. Reverence the hoary head. Dr. T. Dwight.

Reverence directed to the Supreme Being; reverential worship; devout affection. Chaucer.

Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country. Matt. xiii. 57.