Online Etymology Dictionary

respectable: "worthy of respect," 1580s; see respect + -able.
I have certainly known more men destroyed by the desire to have wife and child and to keep them in comfort than I have seen destroyed by drink and harlots. [William Butler Yeats, "Autobiography"]
Related: Respectability; respectably.
respective: 1520s, "regardful, attentive," from M.L. respectivus "having regard for," from L. respectus (see respect).
respectful: 1580s (implied in respectfully), from respect + -ful.
respect (n.): c.1300, from L. respectus "regard," lit. "act of looking back at one," pp. of respicere "look back at, regard, consider," from re- "back" + specere "look at" (see scope (1)). The verb is 1540s, from the noun. Meaning "treat with deferential regard or esteem" is from 1550s.
curtsy (n.): 1540s, "expression of respect," a variant of courtesy (q.v.). Specific meaning "a bending the knee and lowering the body as a gesture of respect" is from 1570s. Originally not exclusively feminine. As a verb from 1550s.
self-respect: "proper regard for the dignity of one's person," 1795, from self + respect (q.v.).
respite: late 13c., from O.Fr. respit "delay, respect," from L. respectus "consideration, recourse, regard" (see respect).
effendi: Turkish title of respect, 1610s, from Turk. efendi, title of respect applied to professionals and officials, corruption of Gk. authentes "lord, master" (in Modern Gk. aphente; see authentic).
panchen: Tibetian Buddhist title of respect, 1763, abbrev. of pandi-tachen-po, lit. "great learned one."
guv: 1890, shortening of guvner, casual British pronunciation of governor as a title of respect.
bureaucrat: 1839, from Fr. bureaucrate (19c.); see bureaucracy.
bureaucrat, &c. The formation is so barbarous that all attempt at self-respect in pronunciation may perhaps as well be abandoned. [Fowler]
plethora: 1540s, a medical word for "excess of body fluid," from L.L. plethora, from Gk. plethore "fullness," from plethein "be full" (see poly-). Figurative meaning "too much, overfullness in any respect" is first recorded 1700. Related: Plethoric.
mahatma: 1884, lit. "great-souled," from Skt. mahatman, from maha "great" (see maharajah) + atman "breath, soul, principle of life." In esoteric Buddhism, "a person of supernatural powers." In common use, as a title, a mark of love and respect. Said to have been applied to Gandhi (1869-1948) in 1915 by poet Rabrindranath Tagore.
disrespect: 1610s (v.), 1630s (n.), from dis- + respect. Related: Disrespected; disrespecting.
tenuous: 1597, irregularly formed from L. tenuis "thin," from PIE base *ten- "to stretch" (cf. Skt. tanuh "thin," lit. "stretched out;" see tenet) + -ous. The correct form with respect to the L. root would be tenuious. The sense of "having slight importance, not substantial" is found from c.1817.
homage: late 13c., from O.Fr. homage "allegiance or respect for one's feudal lord," from homme "man," from L. homo (gen. hominis). Fig. sense of "reverence, honor shown" is from late 14c.
anent (prep.): "concerning, about," early 13c., onont "on level with," also "in the company of, fronting against," from O.E. on efn "on even (ground) with;" the parasitic -t added 12c. A northern form (in Midlands, anenst, with adverbial genitive), affected by English writers in Scottish sense of "in respect or reference to." Cf. Ger. neben "near to, by the side of," short for in eben, from O.H.G. ebani "equality."
madame: 1590s, see madam, which is an earlier borrowing of the same Fr. phrase. Originally a title of respect for a woman of rank, now given to any married woman. OED recommends madam as an English title, madame in reference to foreign women.
esteem (v.): mid-15c., from M.Fr. estimer (14c.), from L. aestimare "to value, appraise," perhaps ultimately from *ais-temos "one who cuts copper," i.e. mints money. At first used as we would now use estimate; sense of "value, respect" is 1530s. Related: Esteemed; esteeming. The noun is from mid-14c. (steem, later also extyme), "account, worth;" meaning "high regard" is from 1610s.
comity: "courtesy," 1540s, from Fr. comité, from L. comitas "courtesy, kindness, affability," from comis "courteous, friendly, kind," of uncertain origin. Phrase comity of nations attested from 1862: "The obligation recognized by civilized nations to respect each other's laws and usages as far as their separate interests allow."
obeisance: late 14c., "act or fact of obeying," from O.Fr. obeissance "obedience," from obeissant, prp. of obeir "obey," from L. oboedire (see obey). Sense in Eng. alt. late 14c. to "bending or prostration of the body as a gesture of submission or respect" by confusion with abaisance.
allegiance: c.1400, from Anglo-Fr. legaunce "loyalty of a liege-man to his lord," from O.Fr. legeance, from liege (see liege); erroneously associated with L. ligare "to bind;" corrupted in spelling by confusion with the now-obsolete legal term allegeance "alleviation." General figurative sense of "recognition of claims to respect or duty" is attested from 1732.
kowtow: 1804 (n.), from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, lit. "knock the head," from k'o "knock, bump" + t'ou "head." The verb in the figurative sense of "act in an obsequious manner" is from 1826. Related: Kowtowed; kowtowing.
achtung: German word used to command attention, from Ger., from acht (n.) "attention, care, heed, consideration," achten (v.) "pay attention to, regard, esteem, respect," from O.H.G. ahton "pay attention to," a general Gmc. word akin to O.E. eahtian "to estimate, esteem, consider, praise," but with no living descendants in English.
don (n.): 1520s, from Sp. or Port. don, title of respect, from L. dominus "lord, master." The university sense is c.1660, originally student slang; underworld sense is 1952, from It. don, from L.L. domnus, from L. dominus (see domain). The fem. form is Dona (Spanish/Portuguese), Donna (Italian).
reverence: late 13c., from O.Fr. reverence, from L. reverentia "awe, respect," from revereri "to revere," from re-, intensive prefix, + vereri "stand in awe of, fear," from PIE *wer- "to be or become aware of" (cf. O.E. wær "aware, cautious;" see wary). The verb is first attested c.1300.
hoar: O.E. har "gray, venerable, old," the connecting notion being gray hair, from P.Gmc. *khairaz, from PIE *koi- "to shine." German retains the word as a title of respect, in Herr. Of frost, it is recorded in O.E. (hoar-frost is late 13c.), expressing the resemblance of the white feathers of frost to an old man's beard. Used as an attribute of boundary stones in O.E. (probably in ref. to being gray with lichens), hence common in place names.
valor: c.1300, "value, worth," from O.Fr. valour "strength, value, valor," from L.L. valorem (nom. valor) "value, worth," from stem of L. valere "be worth, be strong" (see valiant). The meaning "courage" is first recorded 1580s, from It. valore, from the same L.L. word. (The M.E. word also had a sense of "worth or worthiness in respect of manly qualities").
colony: late 14c., "ancient Roman settlement outside Italy," from L. colonia "settled land, farm, landed estate," from colonus "husbandman, tenant farmer, settler in new land," from colere "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect," from PIE base *kwel- "move around" (source of L. -cola "inhabitant;" see cycle). Also used by the Romans to translate Gk. apoikia "people from home." Modern application dates from 1540s.
sanctify: late 14c., seintefie "to consecrate," from O.Fr. saintifier (12c.), from L.L. sanctificare "to make holy," from sanctus "holy" (see saint) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Form altered to conform with Latin. Meaning "to render holy or legitimate by religious sanction" is from c.1400; transferred sense of "to render worthy of respect" is from c.1600. Related: Sanctified.
Timothy: masc. proper name, from Fr. Timothée, from L. Timotheus, from Gk. Timotheos, lit. "honoring God," from time "honor, respect" + theos "god." With lower-case t-, first recorded 1747 as short for timothy grass (1736), Amer.Eng. name for "meadow cat's-tail grass" (Phleum pratense), a native British grass introduced to the Amer. colonies and cultivated there from c.1720, said to be so called for Timothy Hanson, who was first to cultivate it as an agricultural plant.
salute (v.): late 14c., earlier salue (c.1300), from L. salutare "to greet," lit. "wish health to," from salus (gen. salutis) "greeting, good health," related to salvus "safe" (see safe). The noun is attested from c.1400 as an utterance, gesture, or action of any kind. The military and nautical sense of "display flags, fire cannons, etc., as a mark of respect" is recorded from 1580s (the noun in this sense is from 1690s); sense of raising the hand to the cap in the presence of a superior officer is from 1832 (n.), 1844 (v.).
esquire: late 14c., from M.Fr. esquier "squire," lit. "shield-bearer" (for a knight), from O.Fr. escuyer, from V.L. scutarius "shield-bearer, guardsman" (in classical Latin, "shield-maker"), from scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)). For initial e-, see especial. Cf. squire. Originally the feudal rank below knight, sense broadened 16c. to a general title of courtesy or respect for the educated class, especially, later, in U.S., for lawyers.
reverend: early 15c., "worthy of respect," from M.Fr. reverend, from L. reverendus "(he who is) to be respected," gerundive of revereri (see reverence). As a form of address for clergymen, it is attested from late 15c.; earlier reverent (late 14c. in this sense). Abbreviation Rev. is attested from 1721, earlier Revd. (1690s). Very Reverend is used of deans, Right Reverend of bishops, Most Reverend of archbishops.
senior: late 13c., from L. senior "older," comparative of senex (gen. senis) "old," from PIE base *sen- (see senile). Original use in English was as addition to a personal name when father and son had the same name; meaning "higher in rank, longer in service" first recorded 1510s. The Latin word yielded titles of respect in many languages, cf. Fr. sire, Sp. señor, It. signor. Noun sense of "fourth-year student" is from 1741, from earlier general sense of "advanced student" (1610s). Senior citizen first recorded 1938, Amer.Eng.
compliment (n.): "An act, or expression of civility, usually understood to include some hypocrisy, and to mean less than it declares" [Johnson], 1570s, complement, via Fr. compliment (17c.), from It. complimento "expression of respect and civility," from V.L. *complire, for L. complere "to complete" (see complete), via notion of "complete the obligations of politeness." Same word as complement but by a different etymological route; differentiated by spelling after 1650. The verb is attested 1610s, from Fr. complimenter, from compliment.
penal: "pertaining to punishment," mid-15c., from O.Fr. peinal (12c.), from M.L. penalis, from L. poenalis "pertaining to punishment," from poena "punishment," from Gk. poine "blood-money, fine, penalty, punishment," from PIE *kwoina, from base *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (cf. Gk. time "price, worth, honor, esteem, respect," Skt. cinoti "observes, notes," Avestan kaena "punishment, vengeance," O.C.S. cena "honor, price," Lith. kaina "value, price").
warrant (n.): early 13c., "protector, defender," from O.N.Fr. warant (O.Fr. guarant), from Frankish *warand (cf. O.H.G. weren "to authorize, warrant," Ger. gewähren "to grant"), from P.Gmc. *war- "to warn, guard, protect," perhaps from PIE base *wer- "to cover" (cf. L. vereri "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear;" Gk. ouros "watchman," horan "to see;" Hitt. werite- "to see;" see weir). Sense evolved via notion of "permission from a superior which protects one from blame or responsibility" (c.1300) to "document conveying authority" (1510s). A warrant office in the military is one who holds office by warrant, rather than by commission.
bard: mid-15c., from Scottish, from O.Celt. bardos "poet, singer," from PIE base *gwer- "to lift up the voice, praise." In historical times, a term of contempt among the Scots (who considered them itinerant troublemakers), but one of great respect among the Welsh.
All vagabundis, fulis, bardis, scudlaris, and siclike idill pepill, sall be brint on the cheek. [local Scottish ordinance, c.1500]
Subsequently idealized by Scott in the more ancient sense of "lyric poet, singer." Poetic use of the word in English is from Gk. bardos, L. bardus, both from Gaulish. Bardolatry "worship of Shakespeare (the 'Bard of Avon')" first recorded 1901.
noble: early 13c., "illustrious, distinguished, worthy of honor or respect," from O.Fr. noble, from L. nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned, of superior birth," earlier gnobilis, lit. "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE base *gno- (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials. Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded late 13c. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from c.1600. A noble gas (1902) is so called for its inactivity or interness; a use of the word that had been applied in M.E. to precious stones, metals, etc., of similar quality (late 14c.), from the sense of "having admirable properties" (c.1300).
rabbi: "Jewish doctor of religious law," late 15c. (in O.E. in biblical context only; in M.E. also as a title prefixed to personal names), from L.L. rabbi, from Gk. rhabbi, from Mishnaic Heb. rabbi "my master," from rabh "master, great one," title of respect for Jewish doctors of law + -i, first person singular pronominal suffix. From Semitic root r-b-b "to be great or numerous" (cf. robh "multitude;" Arabic rabba "was great," rabb "master"). The -n- in rabbinical (1620s) is via French form rabbin, from M.L. rabbinus (cf. It. rabbino, Sp., Port. rabino), perhaps from a presumed plural of the Hebrew word.
success: 1530s, "result, outcome," from L. successus "an advance, succession, happy outcome," from succedere "come after" (see succeed). Meaning "accomplishment of desired end" (good success) first recorded 1580s. Successor "one who comes after" is recorded from late 13c.
The moral flabbiness born of the bitch-goddess SUCCESS. That -- with the squalid interpretation put on the word success -- is our national disease. [William James to H.G. Wells, Sept. 11, 1906]
Success story is attested from 1925. Among the French phrases used in English late 19c. were succès d'estime "cordial reception given to a literary work out of respect rather than admiration" and succès de scandale "success (especially of a work of art) dependent upon its scandalous character."
Uranus: first planet discovered that was not known in ancient times, named for the god of Heaven, husband of Gaia, the Earth, from L. Uranus, from Gk. Ouranos lit. "heaven," in Gk. cosmology, the god who personifies the heavens, father of the titans. Cf. Urania, name of the Muse of astronomy, from Gk. Ourania, fem. of ouranios, lit. "heavenly." Planet discovered and identified as such in 1781 by Sir William Herschel (it had been observed before, but mistaken for a star, cf. 1690 when John Flamsteed cataloged it as 34 Tauri); Herschel proposed calling it Georgium Sidus, lit. "George's Star," in honour of his patron, King George III of England.
"I cannot but wish to take this opportunity of expressing my sense of gratitude, by giving the name of Georgium Sidus ... to a star which (with respect to us) first began to shine under His auspicious reign." [Sir William Herschel, 1783]
The planet was known in Eng. in 1780s as the Georgian Planet; Fr. astronomers began calling Herschel, and ult. Ger. astronomer Johann Bode proposed Uranus as in conformity with other planet names. However, the name didn't come into common usage until c.1850.
you: O.E. eow, dat. and acc. pl. of þu (see thou), objective case of ge, "ye" (see ye), from W.Gmc. *iuwiz (cf. O.N. yor, O.S. iu, O.Fris. iuwe, M.Du., Du. u, O.H.G. iu, iuwih, Ger. euch), from PIE *ju. Pronunciation of you and the nom. form ye gradually merged from 14c.; the distinction between them passed out of general usage by 1600. Widespread use of French in England after 12c. gave English you the same association as Fr. vous, and it began to drive out sing. nom. thou, originally as a sign of respect (similar to the "royal we") when addressing superiors, then equals and strangers, and ultimately (by c.1575) becoming the general form of address. For a more thorough discussion of this, go here. Words for "you" in Japanese include anata (formal, used by a wife when addressing her husband), kimi (intimate, used among friends) or the rougher omae (oh-MAI-aye), used when talking down to someone or among male friend showing their manliness. Dial. you-uns, for you-ones, first noted 1810 in Ohio.
Children learn from the slaves some odd phrases ... as ... will you all do this? for, will one of you do this? ["Arthur Singleton" (Henry C. Knight), "Letters from the South and West," 1824]
religion: c.1200, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "conduct indicating a belief in a divine power," from Anglo-Fr. religiun (11c.), from O.Fr. religion "religious community," from L. religionem (nom. religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods," in L.L. "monastic life" (5c.); according to Cicero, derived from relegare "go through again, read again," from re- "again" + legere "read" (see lecture). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (and many modern writers) connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. Meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c.1300.
To hold, therefore, that there is no difference in matters of religion between forms that are unlike each other, and even contrary to each other, most clearly leads in the end to the rejection of all religion in both theory and practice. And this is the same thing as atheism, however it may differ from it in name. [Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, 1885]
Modern sense of "recognition of, obedience to, and worship of a higher, unseen power" is from 1530s.