“ REVEREND (Lat. reverendus, gerundive of revereri, to revere, pay respect to) , a term of respect or courtesy, now especially used as the ordinary prefix of address to the names of ministers of religion of all denominations. The uses of Med. Lat. reverendus do not confine the term to those in orders; Du Cange (Gloss. s.v.) defines it as titulus honoraries, etiam mulieribus potioris dignitatie concessus, and in the 15th century in English it is found as a general term of respectful address. ”