God-fearing

See also: godfearing and god-fearing

English

Alternative forms

god-fearing

Etymology

From God +‎ fearing, likely a continuation (in altered form) of earlier Middle English goddfrihti, gode-frigti (“god-fearing”), variants of Middle English godfriht, gode-friht, godfruht, god-furht, from Old English godfyrht, godefriht (“god-fearing”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌰𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃 (gudafaurhts, “god-fearing, devout”).

Adjective

God-fearing (comparative more God-fearing, superlative most God-fearing)

(religion) Following the precepts of a religious practice; respecting and revering God and His authority.
Margie married Bill, a good, God-fearing Christian.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 10, in The Celebrity:
  The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor was a God-fearing man with a luke warm interest in his new billet and employer, and had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument equal to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy.

Translations

following the precepts of a religious practice and respects and reveres god and his authority

Arabic: وَرِع‎ m (wariʿ), تَقِيّ‎ m (taqiyy)
Dutch: godvrezend (nl)
Finnish: jumalaapelkäävä (fi)
French: religieux (fr), craignant Dieu
German: gottesfürchtig
Greek: θεοφοβούμενος (el) (theofovoúmenos)
Hebrew: יְרֵא אֱלקִים (y’re elqim)
Hungarian: istenfélő (hu)
Italian: timorato di Dio
Kurdish:
Sorani: خواناس‎ (xwanás)

Latin: pius (la), sanctus (la)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: gudfryktig
Polish: bogobojny (pl)
Portuguese: pio (pt), devoto (pt), temente a Deus, temente a Deus
Russian: богобоя́зненный (ru) (bogobojáznennyj)
Spanish: pío (es), devoto (es), temeroso de Dios m
Swedish: gudfruktig (sv)