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respect

/ɹɪˈspɛkt/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)/ɹɪˈspekt/ (Australia)/ɹəˈspekt/ (New-Zealand)syllables: re·spect
  • noun
  • verb
  • interjection
  • from Old French

An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “respect” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. uncountableAn attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.

    He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.

  2. uncountableGood opinion, honor, or admiration.
  3. uncountablePolite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

    The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.

  4. countableA particular aspect, feature or detail of something.

    This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects.

  5. countableuncountableGood will; favor.

    And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 2:25:

Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb

  1. To have respect for.

    She is an intellectual giant, and I respect her greatly.

  2. To have regard for something, to observe a custom, practice, rule or right.

    I respect your right to hold that belief, although I think it is nonsense.

  3. To abide by an agreement.

    They failed to respect the treaty they had signed, and invaded.

  4. To take notice of; to regard as worthy of special consideration; to heed.
  5. transitiveTo relate to; to be concerned with.

    Whatever they are else, they are always chastisements; and correction respects faults.1674, John Owen, Pneumatologia:

Older & obsolete senses (2)
  1. obsoleteTo regard; to consider; to deem.
  2. obsoleteTo look toward; to face.
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

interjection

  1. Jamaicahello, hi
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (9)
  1. noun(usually preceded by `in') a detail or point — also: regard
  2. nounthe condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded) — also: esteem, regard
  3. nounan attitude of admiration or esteem — also: esteem, regard
  4. nouna courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard — also: deference
  5. nounbehavior intended to please your parents — also: obedience
  6. nouna feeling of friendship and esteem — also: regard
  7. nouncourteous regard for people's feelings — also: deference, respectfulness
  8. verbregard highly; think much of — also: esteem, value, prize, prise
  9. verbshow respect towards — also: honor, honour, abide by, observe
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Antonyms: belittlement, contempt, contumely, despect, disdain, disparagement, disrespect, ignoring

Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)respect
  2. Middle Englishrespect
  3. Old Frenchrespect
  4. Latinrespectus “a looking at, regard, respect”
  5. Latinre- “back” + speciō “to see”

From Middle English respect, from Old French respect, also respit (“respect, regard, consideration”), from Latin respectus (“a looking at, regard, respect”), perfect passive participle of respiciō (“look at, look back upon, respect”), from re- (“back”) + speciō (“to see”), equivalent to re- + -spect. Doublet of respite.

The verb is derived from the noun.

Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “respect”

by-respectdisrespectmisrespectrespectablerespectfulrespectlessrespectworthyself-respectunrespectover-respectoverrespectrespectabilityrespectedrespectorself-respecting

Phrases & compounds

ablative of respectof respectfinal respectshave respect of personsin many respectsin respectin respect oflast respectspay respectrespect orderwith all due respectwith due respectwith respectwith respect to

Related terms

respective
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “respect” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “respect” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Old French
Old French respect
Oldest written form
Latin
Latin re- + speciō
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Latin
“a looking at, regard, respect”
Latin respectus
Built from
re- “back” + speciō “to see”
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

respect v. t. [L. respectare, v. intens. from respicere, respectum, to look back, respect; pref. re- re- + specere, spicere, to look, to view: cf. F. respecter. See Spy, and cf. Respite.]

  1. To take notice of; to regard with special attention; to regard as worthy of special consideration; hence, to care for; to heed.
  2. To consider worthy of esteem; to regard with honor.
  3. To look toward; to front upon or toward.
  4. To regard; to consider; to deem.

respect n. [L. respectus: cf. F. respect. See Respect, v., and cf. Respite.]

  1. The act of noticing with attention; the giving particular consideration to; hence, care; caution.
  2. Esteem; regard; consideration; honor.
  3. An expression of respect of deference; regards; as, to send one's respects to another.
  4. Reputation; repute.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.

He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.

nounMeaning: Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.

nounMeaning: A particular aspect, feature or detail of something.

This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects.

In our two loves there is but one respect1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 36”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

nounMeaning: Good will; favor.

And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 2:25:

verbMeaning: To have respect for.

She is an intellectual giant, and I respect her greatly.

verbMeaning: To have regard for something, to observe a custom, practice, rule or right.

I respect your right to hold that belief, although I think it is nonsense.

I respect your right to feel offended, even though most people, myself included, totally disagree and don’t find the comment offensive in the slightest.

nounMeaning: (usually preceded by `in') a detail or point

it differs in that respect

nounMeaning: an attitude of admiration or esteem

she lost all respect for him

nounMeaning: a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard

be sure to give my respects to the dean

nounMeaning: behavior intended to please your parents

he went to law school out of respect for his father's wishes

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “respect” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 10

Say it, then spell it

respect

/ɹɪˈspɛkt/ · re·spect

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

respect

/ɹɪˈspɛkt/ · re·spect · noun, verb, interjection

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “respect” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.
2. (noun) Good opinion, honor, or admiration.
3. (noun) Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.
4. (noun) A particular aspect, feature or detail of something.
5. (noun) Good will; favor.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.”

A. Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.
B. An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.
C. Good opinion, honor, or admiration.

Circle the meaning used.

“The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.”

A. Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.
B. Good opinion, honor, or admiration.
C. To have regard for something, to observe a custom, practice, rule or right.

Circle the meaning used.

“This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects.”

A. To have respect for.
B. A particular aspect, feature or detail of something.
C. Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “respect” come into English from?   A. New Latin  B. Old French  C. French  D. Medieval Latin

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “respect” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Latin respectus. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “respect” to mean: An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.
Write a sentence using “respect” to mean: Good opinion, honor, or admiration.
Write a sentence using “respect” to mean: Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — respect

Which meaning, sentence 1: B. An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

Which meaning, sentence 3: B. A particular aspect, feature or detail of something.

Origin: B. Old French (Old French respect)

Journey: English respect ← Middle English respect ← Old French respect ← Latin respectus ← Latin re- + speciō

Some derivatives: by-respect, disrespect, misrespect, respectable, respectful, respectless, respectworthy, self-respect

Original meaning: Latin respectus — “a looking at, regard, respect”

Built from: re- “back” + speciō “to see”

Etymology: From Middle English respect, from Old French respect, also respit (“respect, regard, consideration”), from Latin respectus (“a looking at, regard, respect”), perfect passive participle of respiciō (“look at, look back upon, respect”), from re- (“back”) + speciō (“to see”), equivalent to re- + -spect. Doublet of respite.

Sources: Wiktionary “respect” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/respect#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/respect