English
worship
see also: Worship
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈwɜːʃɪp/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈwɝʃɪp/
    • (rare) IPA: /ˈwɔɹʃɪp/
Noun

worship (uncountable)

  1. The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
    Polytheistic theology and worship had to go underground.
  2. (Christianity, specifically, Catholicism, especially) The adoration (or latria) owed to God alone, as greater than the hyperveneration / hyper-veneration (or hyperdulia) that is given to Saint Mary only and the veneration (or dulia) accorded to all other Roman Catholic saints.
  3. The religious ceremonies that express this devotion.
    • 1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], 8th edition, London: […] T. Goodwin, B[enjamin] Tooke, and J. Pemberton, […]; J. Round […], and J[acob] Tonson] […], published 1720, →OCLC ↗, page 2 ↗:
      The worſhip of God is an eminent part of Religion; and Prayer, which is often in Scripture expreſſed by ſeeking God, and calling upon his Name, is a chief part of Religious Worſhip.
  4. (by extension) Voluntary, utter submission; voluntary, utter deference.
    Synonyms: adoration, reverence, idolatry
  5. (also by extension) Ardent love.
  6. An object of worship.
    • a. 1883 (date written; first published 1883 January), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Monologue”, in Michael Angelo: A Dramatic Poem, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], published 1884, →OCLC ↗, part first, page 21 ↗:
      In attitude and aspect formed to be / At once the artist's worship and despair!
  7. (chiefly, British) Used as a title or term of address for various officials, including magistrates
    • 1837 March, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Relates How Oliver Twist Was Very Near Getting a Place, Which Would Not Have Been a Sinecure”, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], published 1838, →OCLC ↗, page 48 ↗:
      “I beg your worship’s pardon,” said Mr. Bumble, incredulous of his having heard aright,—“did your worship speak to me?”
  8. (obsolete) Honour; respect; civil deference.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗, stanza 8, page 412 ↗:
      And many ſtrange aduentures to bee fond, / Of which great worth and worſhip may be wonne; […]
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Luke 14:10 ↗:
      But when thou art bidden, goe and sit downe in the lowest roume, that when he that bade thee commeth, hee may say vnto thee, Friend, goe vp higher: then shalt thou haue worship in the presence of them that sit at meate with thee.
  9. (obsolete) The condition of being worthy; honour, distinction.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:3.21?rgn=div2;view=fulltext xxiij]”, in Le Morte Darthur, book I:
      I will be on horsbak said the knyght / thenne was Arthur wrothe and dressid his sheld toward hym with his swerd drawen / whan the knyght sawe that / he a lyghte / for hym thought no worship to haue a knyght at suche auaille he to be on horsbak and he on foot and so he alyght & dressid his sheld vnto Arthur
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗, stanza 4:
      Then he forth on his iourney did proceede, / To ſeeke aduentures, which mote him befall, / And win him worſhp through his warlike deed, […]
  10. (music, slang) The fact of an artist's music heavily drawing influence from some other artist's work in a way that appears too obvious or unapologetic; a piece of music that does that.
    • 2010 June 22, Paul Lester, “Magic Kids (No 813)”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎[https://web.archive.org/web/20220818152037/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jun/22/new-band-magic-kids], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN ↗, →OCLC ↗, archived from the original ↗ on 2022-08-18:
      Of course, it's as studied as the current crop of girl-group zealots such as Best Coast, but we're all for Beach Boys worship, even if we do wish, just once, a band would form in honour of Sunflower/Surf's Up/Holland/Carl [Wilson] and the Passions-era BBs, when they were sort of post-hippie baroque.
    • 2003 August 18, Michael Little, “Luna at Black Cat: Skipping to Their Lou”, in The Washington Post‎[https://web.archive.org/web/20230718182434/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/08/18/luna-at-black-cat-skipping-to-their-lou/c3faf8d4-eaac-43db-be03-941014da9aa4/], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN ↗, →OCLC ↗, archived from the original ↗ on 2023-07-18:
      During his 15-year recording career, first with Galaxie 500 and now with Luna, Dean Wareham has shown all the signs of incurable Velvet Underground worship. The predilection for churning out ironic but always melodic rhythm-guitar-based tunes; the deadpan, almost-bored vocals: Why, it's enough to send you to the cover of the third Velvet Underground album, the one with Lou Reed and company sitting on a sofa, to see if Wareham's head is peeking out from behind it.
Related terms
  • bread-worshiper
  • bread worshiper
  • bread-worshipper
  • bread worshipper
Translations Translations Translations Verb

worship (third-person singular simple present worships, present participle (Commonwealth) worshipping or (US) worshiping, simple past and past participle (Commonwealth) worshipped or (US) worshiped or (obsolete) worshipt)

  1. (transitive) To reverence with supreme respect and veneration; to perform religious exercises in honour of.
    • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene v], page 113 ↗, column 2:
      […] well ſaid yfaith neighbour Verges, God's a good man, and two men ride of a horſe, one muſt ride behinde, an honeſt ſoule yfaith ſir, by my troth he is, as euer broke bread, but God is to bee worſhipt, all men are not alike, alas good neighbour.
    • 1673, John Milton, “[Sonnet] XV. On the late Massacher in Piemont.”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions, London: […] Tho[mas] Dring […], →OCLC ↗, page 58 ↗:
      When all our Fathers worſhip't Stocks and Stones, […]
  2. (transitive) To honour with extravagant love and extreme submission, as a lover; to adore; to idolize.
  3. (intransitive) To participate in religious ceremonies.
    We worship at the church down the road.
Translations Translations Translations
Worship
Noun

worship (plural worships)

  1. (British) A form of address of a mayor and other dignitaries
  2. (Canada, archaic) A form of address of a mayor.
Proper noun
  1. Surname.


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