respect

English Online Dictionary. What means respect‎? What does respect mean?

English

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”). Doublet of respite.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈspɛkt/
• Rhymes: -ɛkt
• Hyphenation: re‧spect

Noun

respect (countable and uncountable, plural respects)

1. (uncountable) an attitude of consideration or high regard

   Synonyms: deference, esteem, consideration, regard, fealty, reverence, aught
2. (uncountable) good opinion, honor, or admiration

   Synonyms: admiration, esteem, reverence, regard, recognition, veneration, honor

3. (uncountable, always plural) Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.

4. (countable) a particular aspect, feature or detail of something

   Synonyms: aspect, dimension, face, facet, side
5. Good will; favor

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• respective

Collocations

Translations

Verb

respect (third-person singular simple present respects, present participle respecting, simple past and past participle respected)

1. To have respect for.

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

3. To abide by an agreement.

4. To take notice of; to regard as worthy of special consideration; to heed.
5. (transitive, dated except in "respecting") To relate to; to be concerned with.
6. (obsolete) To regard; to consider; to deem.
7. (obsolete) To look toward; to face.

Synonyms

• (to have respect for): esteem, honor, revere, venerate
• (to regard as worthy of special consideration): esteem, value
• (to abide by an agreement): honor

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “to have respect for”): contemn, despect (verb) (archaic), despise, dis, diss, disrespect (verb)
• (antonym(s) of “to regard as worthy of special consideration”): belittle, ignore, neglect, slight

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: respeki
  • → Kari'na: respeki

Translations

Interjection

respect

1. (Jamaica) hello, hi

References

• “respect”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• respect in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “respect”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “respect”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Sceptre, recepts, scepter, sceptre, specter, spectre

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French respect, from Old French respect, from Latin respectus. Doublet of respijt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛsˈpɛkt/, /rəˈspɛkt/
• Hyphenation: res‧pect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

respect n (uncountable)

1. respect

   Synonym: eerbied

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: respek
• Negerhollands: respekt, respect
• → Indonesian: respek
• → Papiamentu: reespek (dated)
• → Saramaccan: lesipéki
• → Sranan Tongo: lespeki
  • → Caribbean Javanese: lespéki

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin respectus. Doublet of répit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɛs.pɛ/

Noun

respect m (plural respects)

1. respect

Derived terms

• avec tout le respect que je vous dois
• respecter
• respectueux
• sauf votre respect
• tenir en respect

Descendants

• → Dutch: respect
  • Afrikaans: respek
  • Negerhollands: respekt, respect
  • → Indonesian: respek
  • → Papiamentu: reespek (dated)
  • → Saramaccan: lesipéki
  • → Sranan Tongo: lespeki
    • → Caribbean Javanese: lespéki

Further reading

• “respect”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• spectre

Jamaican Creole

Alternative forms

• respeck

Etymology

From English respect.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪsˌspɛk/
• Hyphenation: res‧pect

Interjection

respect

1. greetings, hello, hi

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

2. bye, goodbye

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

See also

• guidance
• manners
• protection

Noun

respect

1. respect

   Synonym: ratings

Derived terms

• respect due

Verb

respect

1. respect

   Synonym: rate

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French respect, Latin respectus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /resˈpekt/

Noun

respect n (uncountable)

1. respect, consideration, deference, esteem, regard

   Synonym: stimă

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• “respect”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025