veneratus

Veneratus is a Latin term that functions as both an adjective meaning revered, respected, or venerable, and as the perfect passive participle of the deponent verb venerari, “to revere, worship.” As a participle it can express a completed action with active meaning, since venerari is deponent. The related adjective venerandus, meaning “to be revered” or “worthy of veneration,” complements its usage.

Etymology and forms: From the verb venerari, the participle appears as veneratus (masculine), venerata (feminine), and veneratum (neuter). In classical and late Latin, veneratus can describe a person, place, or thing that is revered or honored. The feminine and neuter forms align with standard Latin declension for participles. The adjective venerabilis, from a related root, means “worthy of reverence” and gives the English cognate venerable; these terms are related but distinct in nuance.

Usage and sense: In Latin texts, veneratus may describe individuals (e.g., vir veneratus, a man who is revered) or sanctuaries, relics, or places regarded with veneration. In inscriptions and epitaphs, it often marks reverence or sanctity. In Christian Latin, the term appears in contexts praising saints, martyrs, or sacred objects as venerable or worthy of worship. In modern scholarly editing, veneratus is typically translated as “revered” or “venerable,” while venerandus is glossed as “to be revered” or “worthy of veneration.”

See also: The English words venerable and venerate share a common Latin ancestry, though veneratus and venerabilis occupy slightly different grammatical and connotative spaces.