Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Venerable |
VenerableAdjective1. Impressive by reason of age; "a venerable sage with white hair and beard". 2. Profoundly honored; "revered holy men". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "venerable" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Literature | Venerable The Venerable. Bede, the ecclesiastical historian. (672-735.) The Venerable Doctor. William de Champeaux, founder of realism. (Twelfth century.) Peter, Abbot of Clugny. (1093-1156.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: VenerableSynonyms: august (adj), revered (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Age | Adjective: aged; old; elderly, geriatric, senile; matronly, anile; in years; ripe, mellow, run to seed, declining, waning, past one's prime; gray, gray-headed; hoar, hoary; venerable, time-worn, antiquated, passe, effete, decrepit, superannuated; advanced in life, advanced in years; stricken in years; wrinkled, marked withthe crow's foot; having one foot in the grave; doting; (imbecile); like the last of pea time. |
Oldness | Adjective: old, ancient, antique; of long standing, time-honored, venerable; elder, eldest; firstborn. |
Respect | Respected;Verb: in high esteem, in high estimation; time-honored, venerable, emeritus. |
Sage | Adjective: venerable, reverenced, emeritus. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Venerable |
| English words defined with "venerable": Peepul tree ♦ Sacred place ♦ the Venerable Bede ♦ Venerability, Vetust. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "venerable": Alcuith, Arioch ♦ Bottes ♦ Dying Sayings ♦ HUMBUGS ♦ initgame ♦ Oil on Troubled Waters ♦ VENERABLE MONOSYLLABLE. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Venerable" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Spanish (hoar, honourable, venerable). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Oh no, ya don'ts wanna go in there, ya could catch one a dem venerable diseases! (Popeye; writing credit: Jules Feiffer; E.C. Segar) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Launch lunch on Inner Brass Island Launch lunch was a venerable institution on hydrographic ships Usually consisted of bread, bologna, and whatever else could be put in a cooler Always generated gripes but no one ever starved Tide gauge installation crew breaking for lunch.Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | One of the churches of this venerable and old city, which still retains intact its colonial atmosphere, Sancti Spiritus, Las Villas, Cuba.Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | Know that, having regard to God and for the salvation of our soul, and those of all our ancestors and heirs, and unto the honor of God and the advancement of his holy Church and for the rectifying of our realm, we have granted as underwritten by advice of our venerable fathers, Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and cardinal of the holy Roman Church, Henry, archbishop of Dublin, William of London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, Benedict of Rochester, bishops; of Master Pandulf, subdeacon and member of the household of our lord the Pope, of brother Aymeric (master of the Knights of the Temple in England), and of the illustrious men William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, William, earl of Salisbury, William, earl of Warenne, William, earl of Arundel, Alan of Galloway (constable of Scotland), Waren Fitz Gerold, Peter Fitz Herbert, Hubert De Burgh (seneschal of Poitou), Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip d'Aubigny, Robert of Roppesley, John Marshal, John Fitz Hugh, and others, our liegemen. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | I must plead guilty to the charge of abbreviating the official breath of more than one of these venerable servants of the republic. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Sometimes he went to sleep in his garden, and then there was nothing more venerable. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan combines the heritage of two venerable civilizations--the Seljuk Turks of the 11th century and the ancient Persians. (references) |
Travel | Austria | This institution is more than a café, more than a pastry and snack shop, is a venerable cultural institution and social gathering spot where you can linger over your postcard writing or read a newspaper, and watch the world go by. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Venerable" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 86.84% of the time. "Venerable" is used about 190 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 86.84% | 165 | 24,305 |
| Noun (proper) | 13.16% | 25 | 69,787 |
| Total | 100.00% | 190 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "venerable" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Venerable | Last name | 130 | 59,388 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expression using "venerable": the Venerable Bede. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "venerable": venerable-looking. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
bede venerable | 14 |
venerable | 10 |
venerable st bede | 5 |
noe venerable | 2 |
music venerable | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "venerable"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | i respektuar (honored, honoured, reputable, respectable, valued), i përnderuar, i nderuar (honorable, honored, honourable, honoured, laurelled, patriarchal, reputable, respectable, well thought out, worshipful). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مهيب (august, awesome, awful, fearful, grand, imposing, magnificent, majestic, portly, solemn, sublime), موقر (revered, reverend), مبجل (dignified, distinguished, esteemed, glorified, honorable, honourable, reverend, reverent), جليل (august, dignified, exalted, glorious, grand, grave, great, honorable, honourable, important, imposing, lofty, magnificent, portly, respectable, significant, solemn, splendid, stately, sublime). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | уважаван (estimable, respectable, time honored, time-honoured), внушаващ респект, многоуважаем, многовековен (centuries old), почитан (time honored, time-honoured), древен (age-old, ancient, archaic, hoary, old, old world, olden, pristine). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 令人尊敬, 可敬 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | ctihodný (honorable, honourable, respectable, Reverend, ven, worshipful, worthy), úctyhodný (considerable, honorable, honourable, respectable). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | kunnianarvoinen (worthy). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | vénérable. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | ehrwürdig (dignified, hoar, Reverend, solemn, venerably). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | σεβάσμιοσ (hoary), σεβαστόσ (matronal, matronly, respectable, time honored, time-honoured, worshipful), σεπτόσ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | ישיש (aged, long in the tooth, old man, very old), ס'י" (worshipable), ערץ (adorable, esteemed, revered), כב" (distinguished, honorable, honourable, notable, respectable, respected). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | tiszteletreméltó (estimable, honorable, honourable, reputable, reputed, respectable, worshipful), tiszteletes (rev.). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | venerando, venerabile (ancient, hoary, worshipful). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 翁 (old man). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | おきな (old man), おう (depression, female phoenix bird, hollow, king, monarch, old man, ruler, sovereign, sunken, to bear, to chase, to cut, to grow, to owe, to run after, to spring up). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | arrymagh (respectful, reverend, solemn, submissive, worshipful). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | enerablevay venerando (worshipful), venerável (antique, patriarchate, patrician, Reverend, worshipful), respeitável (accountable, dignified, estimate, hoary, properly, reputable, respectable, responsible, Reverend, rightdown, worshipful, worthy), digno de veneração. (various references) venerabil (patriarchal, Reverend, worthy), titlu onorific acordat arhidiaconilor anglicani, respectabil (matronly, nice, reputable, respectable, worthy), onorabil (creditable, creditably, earnest, gentlemanlike, honest, honestly, honorable, honorably, honourable, honourably, reputable, respectable, upright, useful, worthy), cinstit (above board, candid, chaste, clean-fingered, correctly, fair, foursquare, gentlemanlike, guileless, honest, honestly, honest-minded, honorable, honourable, mensurable, on the level, on the up and up, open, reliable, reputable, respectable, righteous, scrupulous, simple, sincere, sincerely, sporting, sportsmanlike, Square, straightforward, true, trustful, truthful, unfeigned, upright, virtuous), antic (ancient, antiquated, antique, crusted, Hoar, old, old fashioned). (various references) почтенный (redoubtable, reputable, worshipful). (various references) prečasni, drevan (ancient, world old), dostojan poštovanja. (various references) venerable (hoar, honourable). (various references) vördnasvärd. (various references) saygıdeğer (August, christian, considered, esteemed, estimable, honorable, honourable, respectable, Reverend, well-considered, worshipful, worthy), muhterem (August, estimable, honorable, honourable, patriarchal, Reverend, worshipful), mübarek (blessed, blest, holy, sacred, saintlike, saintly), kutsal (blessed, celestial, divine, heavenly, hiero-, holy, inviolate, sacramental, sacred, sacrosanct, Saint, sainted, saintly, sanctified, sanctus, solemn). (various references) стародавній (hoary, immemorial, of yore, old, old time, old world), шановний (considered, respectable, worthful). (various references) đáng tôn kính (worshipful). (various references) hybarch. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | augusto, augustum, augustus, priscus, pristinus, recolitus, sacrosancta, sacrosanctis, sancta, sanctae, sanctam, sanctas, sancte, sancti, sanctior, sanctis, sanctissima, sanctissimae, sanctissimas, sanctissimis, sanctissimum, sanctissimus, sanctius, sancto, sanctoque, sanctorum, sanctos, sanctum, sanctumque, sanctus, sanctusque, venerabilis. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "venerable": venerableness, venerablenesses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Venerable" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Enerdale, veberable, venarable, venenable, venerabe, venerabel, venerabilem, veneral, venerale, venrable, vernerable, vnseable, vonerable, vunerable. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "venerable" (pronounced ve"nerubul) |
| 6 | -n er u b u l | dishonorable, hon, honorable, invulnerable, vulnerable. |
| 5 | -er u b u l | admirable, answerable, comparable, considerable, deliverable, discoverable, favorable, imponderable, incomparable, inexorable, innumerable, inoperable, inseparable, insufferable, intolerable, irreparable, maneuverable, measurable, memorable, miserable, operable, pleasurable, preferable, recoverable, tolerable, unalterable, unanswerable, unfavorable. |
| 4 | -u b u l | abominable, acceptable, accessible, accountable, achievable, actionable, adaptable, addressable, adjustable, admissible, adoptable, adorable, advisable, affable, affordable, agreeable, allowable, amenable, amendable, amiable, amicable, analyzable, appealable, applicable, appreciable, approachable, approvable, arable, arguable, attainable, attributable, audible, available, avoidable, bankable, bearable, believable, billable, biodegradable, breakable, buildable, burnable, callable, cannibal, capable, changeable, chargeable, charitable, classifiable, collapsible, collectible, Combinable, comfortable, commendable, communicable, compatible, compensable, comprehensible, conceivable, confirmable, constable, consumable, contemptible, contestable, controllable, convertible, copyrightable, countable, credible, creditable, crucible, culpable, curable, debatable, deductible, defensible, definable, degradable, delectable, demonstrable, dependable, deplorable, deployable, depreciable, describable, desirable, despicable, detachable, detectable, determinable, developable, digestible, disagreeable, discernible, discountable, dispensable, disposable, disreputable, distinguishable, divisible, doable, drinkable, drivable, durable, eatable, edible, electable, eligible, Embraceable, employable, enforceable, enjoyable, enviable, equable, equitable, erasable, erodible, estimable, exchangeable, excitable, excludable, excusable, execrable, exercisable, expandable, expendable, explainable, exportable, extendable, extendible, fallible, fashionable, fathomable, feasible, fissionable, fixable, flammable, flexible, forcible, foreseeable, forfeitable, forgettable, forgivable, formidable, fungible, fusible, gullible, habitable, harvestable, heritable, horrible, hospitable, identifiable, illegible, imaginable, imitable, immiscible, immovable, immutable, impassable, impeachable, impeccable, impenetrable, imperceptible, impermissible, implacable, implantable, implausible, impossible, impracticable, impregnable, impressionable, improbable, inaccessible, inadmissible, inadvisable, inalienable, inapplicable, inaudible, incalculable, incapable, incompatible, incomprehensible, incompressible, inconceivable, incontrovertible, incorrigible, incredible, incurable, indefatigable, indefensible, indefinable, indelible, indescribable, indestructible, indispensable, indisputable, indistinguishable, indivisible, indomitable, inedible, ineffable, ineligible, inequitable, inescapable, inevitable, inexcusable, inexhaustible, inexplicable, infallible, infeasible, inflammable, inflatable, inflexible, inheritable, inhospitable, inimitable, injectable, insatiable, inscrutable, insoluble, insupportable, insurmountable, intangible, intelligible, interchangeable, interminable, interruptible, intractable, invaluable, investable, invincible, inviolable, invisible, irascible, irreconcilable, irrefutable, irremediable, irreplaceable, irrepressible, irresistible, irresponsible, irreversible, irrevocable, irritable, issuable, justifiable, knowledgeable, lamentable, laudable, laughable, leasable, legible, liable, likable, likeable, livable, lovable, malleable, manageable, mandible, marketable, microwavable, miscible, moldable, movable, navigable, negligible, negotiable, noncallable, nonconvertible, nondeductible, nondurable, nonrefundable, nonrenewable, nontaxable, nontransferable, notable, noticeable, objectionable, observable, obtainable, ostensible, palatable, palpable, parable, passable, patentable, payable, peaceable, perceptible, perishable, permeable, permissible, personable, persuadable, pitiable, plausible, pliable, portable, possible, potable, practicable, predictable, presentable, preventable, printable, probable, profitable, programmable, prosecutable, provable, punishable, questionable, quotable, reachable, readable, realizable, reasonable, receivable, rechargeable, recognizable, recordable, recyclable, redeemable, redoubtable, reducible, refundable, regrettable, reliable, remarkable, removable, renewable, rentable, repairable, repayable, repeatable, replaceable, reportable, reprehensible, reputable, resealable, resettable, respectable, responsible, retractable, returnable, reusable, reversible, revocable, ridable, salable, saleable, salvageable, seasonable, sensible, serviceable, sizable, sizeable, sociable, soluble, solvable, spendable, submersible, suggestible, suitable, supportable, survivable, susceptible, sustainable, syllable, talkable, tangible, taxable, teachable, tenable, terrible, traceable, tractable, tradable, tradeable, trainable, transferable, transferrable, transmittable, transportable, treatable, tunable, typeable, unacceptable, unaccountable, unaffordable, unalienable, unassailable, unattainable, unavailable, unavoidable, unbearable, unbeatable, unbelievable, unbuildable, uncollectible, uncomfortable, unconscionable, uncontrollable, undeniable, understandable, undesirable, undetectable, unelectable, unemployable, unenforceable, unenviable, unexplainable, unfashionable, unfathomable, unfeasible, unflappable, unforeseeable, unforgettable, unforgivable, ungovernable, unimaginable, unimpeachable, uninhabitable, uninsurable, unintelligible, unjustifiable, unknowable, unlivable, unmanageable, unmentionable, unmistakable, unobtainable, unpalatable, unpredictable, unprintable, unprofitable, unquestionable, unreachable, unreadable, unreasonable, unrecognizable, unreliable, unremarkable, unsalable, unshakable, unsinkable, unsolvable, unspeakable, unstoppable, unsuitable, unsupportable, unsustainable, untenable, unthinkable, untouchable, untraceable, unusable, unverifiable, unwinnable, unworkable, usable, variable, vegetable, verifiable, veritable, viable, visible, voluble, washable, wearable, winnable, workable. |
| 3 | -b u l | able, amble, assemble, babble, Babel, bauble, bible, bramble, bubble, Bumble, cable, cobble, coble, corbel, crumble, cymbal, dabble, Dibble, disable, disassemble, dissemble, double, Drabble, dribble, enable, enfeeble, ennoble, ensemble, fable, feeble, foible, fumble, gable, gamble, Garble, global, gobble, Gribble, grumble, hardscrabble, herbal, hobble, humble, ignoble, immeasurable, immobile, intertribal, jumble, kibble, label, libel, marble, mislabel, mobile, mumble, nibble, nimble, noble, nonverbal, pebble, preamble, psychobabble, quibble, rabble, ramble, reassemble, rebel, redouble, relabel, resemble, Roble, rouble, roundtable, rubble, Ruble, rumble, sable, Scrabble, scramble, scribble, shamble, Sibyl, squabble, Stabile, stable, stubble, stumble, symbol, table, thimble, timetable, treble, tremble, tribal, trouble, tubal, tumble, turntable, umbel, unable, unscramble, unserviceable, unstable, valuable, verbal, wamble, wobble. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-e-e-e-l-n-r-v" | |
-1 letter: venereal. | |
-2 letters: bereave, beveler, enabler, verbena. | |
-3 letters: baleen, beaver, eleven, enable, evener, laveer, leaner, leaven, leaver, releve, reveal, vealer, veneer, verbal, vernal. | |
-4 letters: abele, abler, anele, baler, bevel, blare, blear, brave, breve, elver, laree, laver, learn, leave, leben, levee, lever, navel, nerve, never, ranee, ravel, raven, reave, rebel, reeve, renal, revel, veena, velar, venae, venal. | |
-5 letters: able, alee, aver, bale, bane, bare, barn, bean, bear, been, beer, bene, blae, brae, bran, bree, bren, earl, earn, eave, elan, erne, even, ever, lane, lave, lean, lear, leer, leva, nabe, nave, near, neve, rale, rave, real, reel, vale, vane, veal, veer, vela, vena, vera, verb. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-e-e-e-l-n-r-v" | |
+2 letters: preventable. | |
+3 letters: maneuverable, unreviewable. | |
+4 letters: removableness, reverberantly, undeliverable, unrecoverable, unserviceable, venerableness, veritableness. | |
+5 letters: intervertebral, provablenesses, variablenesses, venerabilities, verifiableness, vulnerableness. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)56 65 6E 65 72 61 62 6C 65 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
|
| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
|
| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
|
| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
|
Morse Code (1836) (references)...- . -. . .-. .- -... .-.. . |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
|
Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010110 01100101 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100001 01100010 01101100 01100101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)V e n e r a b l e |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0056 0065 006E 0065 0072 0061 0062 006C 0065 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
|
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)567180718467687871 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Historic 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Names: Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Orthography 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
