respect

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/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkt
• Hyphenation: re‧spect

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

respect (countable and uncountable, plural respects)

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

   Synonyms: deference, esteem, consideration, regard, fealty, reverence, aught

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

   • 2022 October 15, “Tajik President's Demand For 'Respect' From Putin Viewed Millions Of Times On YouTube”, in Radio Free Europe‎, archived from the original on 17 October 2022‎:

     A video of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon complaining to Russian President Vladimir Putin about his lack of respect for the countries of Central Asia that were once part of the Soviet Union has struck a nerve on social media, where it has been viewed millions of times. […]
     “We have always respected the interests of our main strategic partner,” Rahmon said, referring to Russia. “We want respect, too."

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.

   The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.

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

   Synonyms: aspect, dimension, face, facet, side

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

   • 1609, 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:

     In our two loves there is but one respect

5. Good will; favor
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 2:25:

     And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Verb

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

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.

   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.

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.
   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     [T]hou reſpecteſt not ſpilling Edwards bloud: [...]

   • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, page 33:

     We haue also large and various Orchards, and Gardens; Wherein we doe not ſo much reſpect Beauty, as Variety of Ground and Soile, proper for diuerſe Trees and Herbs: [...]

5. (transitive, dated except in "respecting") To relate to; to be concerned with.
   • 1674, John Owen, Pneumatologia:

     Whatever they are else, they are always chastisements; and correction respects faults.

   • 1806, James Lee, An Introduction to Botany:

     Glandulation respects the secretory vessels, which are either glandules, follicles, or utricles.

   • 1859 December 13, Charles Dickens, “The Mortals in the House”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 4, column 2:

     I hope I may never again be in a state of mind so unchristian as the mental frame in which I lived for some weeks, respecting the memory of Master B.

6. (obsolete) To regard; to consider; to deem.
   • c. 1597, Ben. Jonson, A Pleasant Comedy, Called: The Case is Alterd. […], London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Bartholomew Sutton, and William Barrenger, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     [T]his my friend (knowen by no name) was found, / Being then a child and ſcarce of power to ſpeake, / To whom my father gaue this name of Gaſper, / And as his own reſpected him to death, [...]

     That is, regarded him as his own.

7. (obsolete) To look toward; to face.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, “Of East and West”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 6th book, page 263:

     That Palladius adviſeth the front of his edifice ſhould ſo reſpect the South, that in the firſt angle it receive the riſing raies of the winter Sunne, and decline a little from the winter ſetting thereof.

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.
• “respect”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛsˈpɛkt/, /rəˈspɛkt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: res‧pect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

respect n (uncountable)

1. respect

   Synonym: eerbied

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin respectus. Doublet of répit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɛs.pɛ/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

respect m (plural respects)

1. respect

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• spectre

Alternative forms

• respeck

Etymology

From English respect.

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

respect

1. greetings, hello, hi

   A: Wah gwaan? B: Respect!

   A: Hello! B: Hi!

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

2. bye, goodbye

   A: Tek it easy. B: Respect!

   A: Take it easy. B: Bye!

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

Noun

respect

1. respect

   Synonym: ratings

   Run whey di two a dem, dem nuh have nuh respect fi yuh.

   Get rid of both of them. They have no respect for you.

   • 2020, Romardo Lyons, “Mixed reactions to state of emergency”, in The Jamaica Star‎ (in English):

     “Our problem is that the police dem nah deal with people wid nuh respect. […] ”

     Our problem is that the police aren't approaching the people with respect. […]

Verb

respect

1. respect

   Synonym: rate

   Yuh done know seh mi respect yuh whole heap.

   You already know that I respect you a lot.

   • 2020, “DANCING DEATHTRAPS - Dancers risking serious injuries doing stunts”, in The Jamaica Star‎ (in English):

     “Dem a tek too much risk wid dem life and nuff a dem nuh respect dem body […] ”

     They're taking too many risks with their life and a lot of them don't respect their body. […]

Etymology

Borrowed from French respect, Latin respectus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /resˈpekt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

respect n (uncountable)

1. respect, consideration, deference, esteem, regard

   Synonym: stimă

Further reading

• respect in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)