World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesDeference
/ˈdɛf.ər.əns/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Humble submission and respect shown to the wishes, judgment, or authority of another person.
"The young lawyer spoke with quiet deference to the senior judge." - 2
Polite yielding to the opinion or preferences of another.
"Out of deference to her dietary restrictions, the host prepared a vegan meal."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'deferre' meaning 'to bring down, carry away, or refer', evolving in Middle French into 'déférence' to denote respectful yielding to another's opinion or will. Entered the English language in the late 16th century, shifting from the physical sense of yielding or submission to the modern psychological and social meaning of respectful compliance.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Deference" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
déférence
Transliteration: /de.fe.ʁɑ̃s/
"Il a montré beaucoup de déférence envers ses aînés."
Ehrerbietung
Transliteration: /ˈeːɐ̯ˌʁiːbiːtʊŋ/
"Sie behandelte ihn mit großer Ehrerbietung."
deferenza
Transliteration: /de.feˈrɛn.tsa/
"Agì per deferenza verso la tradizione."
deferencia
Transliteration: /de.feˈɾen.sja/
"Lo hizo como una muestra de deferencia."
deferência
Transliteration: /de.feˈɾẽ.si.ɐ/
"Ele tratou o diretor com grande deferência."
आदर
Transliteration: ādar
"उसने अपने बड़ों के प्रति आदर दिखाया।"
顺从
Transliteration: shùncóng
"她出于对长辈的顺从而答应了。"
경의
Transliteration: gyeong-ui
"그들은 상사에게 깊은 경의를 표했다."
敬意
Transliteration: keii
"彼は上司に対して深い敬意を示した。"
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