reverence

From Middle English reverence, borrowed from Old French reverence, from Latin reverentia, itself from revereor ("to stand in awe, respect, revere"), built from re- plus vereor, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European *wer-, meaning "to cover, heed, notice."

The word entered English as both noun and verb (reverence, reverencen) directly from its French and Latin forms, keeping close to its original sense of standing in awe or respect.

Its root vereor also gives the deeper Proto-Indo-European sense of "heeding" or "noticing," linking the idea of awe to an ancient act of paying careful attention.