Lewis & Short

vĕrenter, adv., v. vereor, A. fin.

vĕrĕor, ĭtus (part. pres. verens; rare in histt.; not in Cæs., Liv., Sall., or Curt., veritus being used instead; but freq. in Cic., Nep., and Just.; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 1192), 2, v. dep. a. and n. [Greek root ορ-, ϝορ; οὖρος, ἐπίουρος, guardian; ὁράω, to see; O. H. Germ. warten, to see; Engl. ward], to feel awe of, to reverence, revere, respect; to fear, be afraid of any thing (good or bad); to fear or be afraid to do a thing, etc. (not so strong as metuo, v. Cic. Quint. 1, 1 infra; cf. also timeo); constr. with acc., with an inf., the gen., a foll. ne, ut, a rel.-clause, or absol.

        1. (α) With acc.: vereri aliquem, Plaut. Am. prol. 23; so, vereri et metuere Junonem, id. ib. 2, 2, 202: contra nos ambae faciunt, summa gratia et eloquentia; quarum alteram vereor, alteram metuo, Cic. Quint. 1, 1: metuebant eum servi, verebantur liberi, id. Sen. 11, 37; cf.: quid? veteranos non veremur? nam timeri se ne ipsi quidem volunt, id. Phil. 12, 12, 29: veremur vos, Romani, et, si ita vultis, etiam timemus, Liv. 39, 37, 17: ut majorem fratrem vereri, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 3: quem discipuli et amant et verentur, Quint. 2, 2, 8 Spald. N. cr.: non se hostem vereri, sed angustias itineris et magnitudinem silvarum, Caes. B. G. 1, 39: patris conspectum, Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 1: reprehensionem doctorum atque prudentium, Cic. Or. 1, 1: Gallica bella, id. Att. 14, 4, 1: periculum, Caes. B. G. 5, 48; id. B. C. 3, 21; Hirt. B. G. 8, 39: desidiam in hoc, Quint. 1, 3, 7: opinionem jactantiae, id. 9, 2, 74: pauperiem, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 39: majus, id. S. 2, 8, 57: supplicium ab aliquo, Auct. Her. 2, 19, 28: hoc verens in hanc tarditatem incidi, Cic. Att. 10, 8, 5: quae verens Epicurus … commentus est, etc., id. N. D. 2, 23, 59: invidiam verens, Nep. Eum. 7, 1.
        2. (β) With inf.: vereri introire in alienam domum, Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 32: vereor dicere, Ter. And. 2, 1, 23: vereor committere, ut, etc., Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 37: quos interficere, Caes. B. G. 5, 6: insanos qui inter vereare insanus haberi, Hor. S. 2, 3, 40: verear magis, Me amoris causā hoc ornatu incedere, Plaut. Mil. 4, 7, 2: judex verebar non omnes causam vincere posse suam, Ov. H. 16, 75 sq.
          Impers.: Cyrenaici, quos non est veritum in voluptate summum bonum ponere, Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 39.
        3. (γ) With gen. (mostly ante-class.): uxor, quae non vereatur viri, Afran. ap. Non. 496, 29: tui progenitoris, Att. ib. 497, 2: feminae primariae, Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 78: tui testimonii, Cic. Att. 8, 4, 1.
          Impers.: nihilne te populi veretur, Pac. ap. Non. 497, 2.
        4. (δ) With dat. (very rare): eo minus veritus navibus, quod, etc., for the ships, Caes. B. G. 5, 9.
          (ε) With ne, lest or that: sed vereor, ne videatur oratio mea, etc., Cic. Rep. 1, 46, 70; 3, 5, 70; id. de Or. 1, 55, 234; id. Sull. 23, 66; Caes. B. G. 1, 19; 1, 42; 2, 1; Sall. J. 14, 20; Hor. S. 1, 2, 127; id. Ep. 1, 16, 19: veritus, ne licentia invidiam adcenderet, Sall. J. 15, 3: agebamus verentes ne quid accideret, Cic. Fam. 13, 19, 2: tum me inquit collegi, verens ne … noceret, id. Att. 15, 21, 1; id. Fam. 9, 16, 1; id. de Or 2, 3, 14; 3, 9, 33; Nep. Dion, 4, 1; 8, 5; id. Them. 5, 1.
          To introduce an expression of opinion, like dubito an: si, ut Graeci dicunt, omnes aut Graios esse aut barbaros, vereor ne barbarorum rex fuerit (Romulus), then I am afraid that, I suspect that, Cic. Rep. 1, 37, 58: non vereor, ne assentatiunculā quādam aucupari tuam gratiam videar, id. Fam. 5, 12, 6; Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 58; id. Mil. 3, 3, 68; Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 1; Matius ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 28, 8.
          (ζ) With ne … non: accepi tuas litteras, quibus intellexi te vereri ne superiores mihi redditae non essent, Cic. Fam. 14, 5, 1.
          So usu. after non vereor, ne non is used instead of ut (cf. η, infra): non vereor ne hoc officium meum P. Servilio non probem, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 38, § 82; 2, 2, 47, § 118: non vereor, ne non scribendo te expleam, id. Fam. 2, 1, 1; 2, 5, 2; 2, 6, 2; 11, 28, 8; Cels. 5, 28, 12.
          So after questions implying a negative: quid est cur verear ne ad eam non possim accommodare Torquatos nostros? Cic. Fin. 1, 10, 34; and in ironical concessions or assumptions: si meis horis in accusando uti voluissem, vererer ne mihi crimina non suppeterent, id. Verr. 2, 1, 11, § 31; id. ap. Quint. 9, 3, 19.
          (η) With ut, that not: veritus ut hostium impetum sustinere posset, Caes. B. G. 5, 47: illa duo, Crasse, vereor, ut tibi possim concedere, Cic. de Or. 1, 9, 35; id. Fam. 14, 14, 1; id. Agr. 2, 22, 58; Auct. Her. 3, 6, 11: ut ferulā caedas meritum majora subire Verbera non vereor, Hor. S. 1, 3, 121.
          (θ) With a rel.-clause, to await with fear, to fear, dread: heri semper lenitas verebar quorsum evaderet, Ter. And. 1, 2, 5: Pomptinum quod scribis in urbem introisse, vereor, quid sit, Cic. Att. 7, 7, 3: hoc quomodo acciperent homines, vereor etiam nunc, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 10, 1: vereor, num hic aliud sit dicendum, Dig. 20, 4, 11.
          (ι) With de and abl. (very rare): de quā (Carthagine) vereri non ante desinam quam illam excisam esse cognovero, Cic. Sen. 6, 18.
          (κ) Absol.: hic vereri perdidit, i. e. he has lost all sense of shame, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 2, 50: ne vereamini, Quia bellum Aetolis esse dixi cum Aliis, id. Capt. prol. 58: ne vereare; meo periculo hujus ego experiar fidem, id. ib. 2, 2, 99.
          Hence,
  1. A. vĕrenter, adv., with reverence, reverently, Sedul. 1, 8.
  2. B. vĕrendus, a, um, P. a., that is to be feared or reverenced, awful, venerable; fearful, terrible (poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
    1. 1. Adj.: majestas, Ov. M. 4, 540: patres, id. P. 3, 1, 143; cf. id. Tr. 5, 6, 31: ossa (viri), id. H. 3, 104: Alexander Partho verendus, Luc. 10, 46: fluctus classibus, id. 5, 502.
    2. 2. Subst.: vĕrenda, ōrum, m., the private parts, Plin. 28, 15, 60, § 213; 32, 9, 34, § 107; 36, 21, 42, § 156; Plin. Ep. 3, 18, 14; called also partes verendae, Veg. Vet. 1, 7.
      Note: In a pass. signif.: ubi malunt metui quam vereri se ab suis, Afran. ap. Gell. 15, 13, 3; cf. also the impersonal use above, β and γ.