obedience
UK /ə(ʊ)ˈbiːdɪəns/ · US /oʊˈbidiəns/ noun
Forms obediences oboedience
- noun The quality of being obedient. “Obedience is essential in any army.”
- noun The collective body of persons subject to any particular authority.
- noun A written instruction from the superior of an order to those under him.
- noun Any official position under an abbot's jurisdiction.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English obedience, from Anglo-Norman obedience, from Old French obedience (modern French obédience), from Latin oboedientia. Displaced native Old English hīersumnes (compare modern English hearsomeness). Cognate with obeisance.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of obeying, or the state of being obedient; compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control.
- noun Words or actions denoting submission to authority; dutifulness.
Etymology [F. obédience, L. obedientia, oboedientia. See Obedient, and cf.Obeisance.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “obedience”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details