worship

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.

   “Polytheistic theology and worship had to go underground.”

2. (especially, uncountable, usually)The adoration (or latria) owed to God alone, as greater than the hyperdulia) that is given to Saint Mary only and the veneration (or dulia) accorded to all other Roman Catholic saints.
3. (metonymically, uncountable, usually)The religious ceremonies that express this devotion.

   “The worſhip of God is an eminent part of Religion; and Prayer, which is often in Scripture expreſſed by ſeeking God, and calling upon his Name, is a chief part of Religious Worſhip.”

4. (broadly, uncountable, usually)Voluntary, utter submission; voluntary, utter deference.
5. (also, broadly, uncountable, usually)Ardent love.
6. (uncountable, usually)An object of worship.

   “In attitude and aspect formed to be / At once the artist's worship and despair!”

7. (British, uncountable, usually)Used as a title or term of address for various officials, including magistrates.

   ““I beg your worship’s pardon,” said Mr. Bumble, incredulous of his having heard aright,—“did your worship speak to me?””

   “'Your Worships, I have a submission to put before the court. As Your Worships are aware, it is the duty of the court under Section thirty-nine of the Children and Young Persons Act to protect the identity of minors who are victims of offences […]”

8. (obsolete, uncountable, usually)Honour; respect; civil deference.

   “And many ſtrange aduentures to bee fond, / Of which great worth and worſhip may be wonne; […]”

   “But when thou art bidden, goe and sit downe in the lowest roume, that when he that bade thee commeth, hee may say vnto thee, Friend, goe vp higher: then shalt thou haue worship in the presence of them that sit at meate with thee.”

9. (obsolete, uncountable, usually)The condition of being worthy; honour, distinction.

   “I will be on horsbak said the knyght / thenne was Arthur wrothe and dressid his sheld toward hym with his swerd drawen / whan the knyght sawe that / he a lyghte / for hym thought no worship to haue a knyght at suche auaille he to be on horsbak and he on foot and so he alyght & dressid his sheld vnto Arthur”

   “Then he forth on his iourney did proceede, / To ſeeke aduentures, which mote him befall, / And win him worſhp through his warlike deed, […]”

10. (slang, uncountable, usually)The fact of an artist's music heavily drawing influence from some other artist's work in a way that appears too obvious or unapologetic; a piece of music that does this.

    “In that time, McLachlan’s music has developed from adolescent Kate Bush worship to mature roots-driven folk (like the hits “Building a Mystery” and “Sweet Surrender”) and ballads (“Witness,” “I Love You”) that border on hymnody.”

    “During his 15-year recording career, first with Galaxie 500 and now with Luna, Dean Wareham has shown all the signs of incurable Velvet Underground worship. The predilection for churning out ironic but always melodic rhythm-guitar-based tunes; the deadpan, almost-bored vocals: Why, it's enough to send you to the cover of the third Velvet Underground album, the one with Lou Reed and company sitting on a sofa, to see if Wareham's head is peeking out from behind it.”

    “Of course, it's as studied as the current crop of girl-group zealots such as Best Coast, but we're all for Beach Boys worship, even if we do wish, just once, a band would form in honour of Sunflower/Surf's Up/Holland/Carl [Wilson] and the Passions-era BBs, when they were sort of post-hippie baroque.”

    “Rather, Lenny's new material covered a lot of ground, from the folk-to-hard rock build of "Fields of Joy," to the technology-accented church hymns of "Stand by My Woman," to the unapologetic Jimi Hendrix worship of "Stop Draggin' Around" to the stylish orchestrated Philly soul of "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over."”

    “Of the songs with actual vocals, it’s much more derivative than anything else they would do. A couple songs are pretty close to My Bloody Valentine worship (which suits me fine). There’s very little of the glacial bowed-guitar and neo-classicism that made them one of the most celebrated bands in the world.”

11. (British)A form of address of a mayor and other dignitaries
12. (Canada, archaic)A form of address of a mayor.

verb

1. (transitive)To reverence (a deity, etc.) with supreme respect and veneration; to perform religious exercises in honour of.

   “[…] well ſaid yfaith neighbour Verges, God's a good man, and two men ride of a horſe, one muſt ride behinde, an honeſt ſoule yfaith ſir, by my troth he is, as euer broke bread, but God is to bee worſhipt, all men are not alike, alas good neighbour.”

   “When all our Fathers worſhip't Stocks and Stones, […]”

2. (transitive)To honour with extravagant love and extreme submission, as a lover; to adore; to idolize.

   “With bended knees I daily worship her, / Yet she consumes her own Idolater.”

   ““[…] And she would sit in the car and pretend to hold the wheel. All the household worshipped her! Even the police came to understand that. Ah, the beautiful little one!””

   “The social media accounts of Hu Chenfeng, an auto repairman turned influencer whose videos have highlighted poverty and inequality in China, have been removed from several platforms. Propaganda officials in Zhejiang have accused him of “worshiping the West.””

3. (intransitive)To participate in religious ceremonies.

   “We worship at the church down the road.”

4. To touch, fondle, or kiss in an intensely sensual way.

   “The kiss is heady and passionate. I show him how far we are from being over by worshipping him with my lips.”

   “He moves lower to worship my breasts with his mouth, his teeth raking lightly over my nipple with the perfect amount of friction to build the pleasure coiling tight within me.”

   “Telling Kieran exactly how to please me, Kieran listening to every word and taking his time, making sure everything felt amazing, worshipping me with his hands and his mouth.”

name

1. A surname.