Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VEN'ER-A-BLE, a. [Fr. from L. venerabilis, from veneror, to honor, to worship.]

1. Worthy of veneration or reverence; deserving of honor and respect; as, a venerable magistrate; a venerable parent.
2. Rendered sacred by religious associations, or being consecrated to God and to his worship; to be regarded with awe and treated with reverence; as, the venerable walls of a temple or church. The places where saints have suffered for the testimony of Christ … rendered venerable by their death. – Hooker.