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deference - 3 dictionary results

def⋅er⋅ence

  [def-er-uhns]
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–noun
1. respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.
2. respectful or courteous regard: in deference to his wishes.
Origin:
1640–50; < F déférence, MF, equiv. to defer(er) to defer 2 + -ence -ence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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def·er·ence   (děf'ər-əns, děf'rəns)   
n.  
  1. Submission or courteous yielding to the opinion, wishes, or judgment of another.
  2. Courteous respect. See Synonyms at honor.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Deference

Def"er*ence\, n. [F. d['e]f['e]rence. See 3d Defer.] A yielding of judgment or preference from respect to the wishes or opinion of another; submission in opinion; regard; respect; complaisance.

Deference to the authority of thoughtful and sagacious men. --Whewell.

Deference is the most complicate, the most indirect, and the most elegant of all compliments. --Shenstone.

Syn: Deference, Reverence, Respect.

Usage: Deference marks an inclination to yield one's opinion, and to acquiesce in the sentiments of another in preference to one's own. Respect marks the estimation that we have for another, which makes us look to him as worthy of high confidence for the qualities of his mind and heart. Reverence denotes a mingling of fear with a high degree of respect and esteem. Age, rank, dignity, and personal merit call for deference; respect should be paid to the wise and good; reverence is due to God, to the authors of our being, and to the sanctity of the laws.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : deference
Spanish: deferencia,
German: die Ehrerbietung,
Japanese: 敬意
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