honor

See also: Honor and hönor

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English honour, honor, honur, from Anglo-Norman honour, honur, from Old French honor, from Latin honor. Displaced Middle English menske (honor, dignity among men), from Old Norse menskr (honor) (see mensk).

The verb is from Middle English honouren, honuren (to honor).

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɑː.nɚ/
    • (file)
    • (file)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɒ.nə/
  • Rhymes: -ɒnə(ɹ)

Noun

honor (countable and uncountable, plural honors) (chiefly American spelling)

  1. (uncountable) recognition of importance or value; respect; veneration (of someone, usually for being morally upright and/or competent)
    The crowds gave the returning general much honor and praise.
    • The King James Bible, Matthew 13.57:
      A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country.
  2. (uncountable) the state of being morally upright, honest, noble, virtuous, and magnanimous; excellence of character; the perception of such a state; favourable reputation; dignity
    He was a most perfect knight, for he had great honor and chivalry.
    His honor was unstained.
  3. (countable) a token of praise or respect; something that represents praiseworthiness or respect, such as a prize or award given by the state to a citizen
    Honors are normally awarded twice a year: on The Queen's Birthday in June and at the New Year.
    He wore an honor on his breast.
    military honors; civil honors
    Audie Murphy received many honors, such as the Distinguished Service Cross.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Dryden:
      their funeral honors
  4. a privilege
    I had the honour of dining with the ambassador.
  5. (in the plural) the privilege of going first
    I'll let you have the honours, Bobgo ahead.
    1. (golf) the right to play one's ball before one's opponent.
  6. a cause of respect and fame; a glory; an excellency; an ornament.
    He is an honour to his nation.
  7. (feudal law) a seigniory or lordship held of the king, on which other lordships and manors depended
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Cowell to this entry?)
  8. (heraldry, countable) the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon (compare honour point)
  9. (countable, card games) In bridge, an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten especially of the trump suit. In some other games, an ace, king, queen or jack.
  10. (in the plural) (courses for) an honours degree: a university qualification of the highest rank
    At university I took honours in modern history.

Usage notes

Like many other words ending in -our/-or, this word is usually spelled honour in the UK and honor in the US. However, the spelling honour is considered more formal in the United States, and is standard in formulations such as "the honour of your presence" as used on wedding invitations and other very formal documents.[1]

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

honor (third-person singular simple present honors, present participle honoring, simple past and past participle honored) (chiefly US)

  1. (transitive) to think of highly, to respect highly; to show respect for; to recognise the importance or spiritual value of
    The freedom fighters will be forever remembered and honored by the people.
  2. (transitive) to conform to, abide by, act in accordance with (an agreement, treaty, promise, request, or the like)
    I trusted you, but you have not honored your promise.
    refuse to honor the test ban treaty
  3. (transitive) to confer (bestow) an honour or privilege upon (someone)
    Ten members of the profession were honored at the ceremony.
    The prince honored me with an invitation to his birthday banquet.
  4. (transitive) to make payment in respect of (a cheque, banker's draft, etc.)
    I'm sorry Sir, but the bank did not honour your cheque.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

References


Catalan

Etymology

From Latin honōrem, accusative of honor.

Pronunciation

  • (Balearic) IPA(key): /oˈno/
  • (Central) IPA(key): /uˈnor/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /oˈnoɾ/

Noun

honor m (plural honors)

  1. honour

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Latin honos, a form notably still used by Cicero, of unknown origin; possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root *gʰon- or *ǵʰon-, but lacking any clear cognates.[1][2]

Pronunciation

Noun

honor m (genitive honōris); third declension

  1. honor, esteem, dignity, reputation, office

Inflection

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative honor honōrēs
Genitive honōris honōrum
Dative honōrī honōribus
Accusative honōrem honōrēs
Ablative honōre honōribus
Vocative honor honōrēs

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  • honor in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • honor in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • honor in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • honor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • a man who has held every office (up to the consulship): vir defunctus honoribus
    • a man who has held many offices: honoribus ac reipublicae muneribus perfunctus (De Or. 1. 45)
    • a man who has held many offices: amplis honoribus usus (Sall. Iug. 25. 4)
    • (ambiguous) to be deprived of the rites of burial: sepulturae honore carere
    • (ambiguous) to be honoured, esteemed by some one: esse in honore apud aliquem
    • (ambiguous) to honour, show respect for, a person: aliquem honore afficere, augere, ornare, prosequi (vid. sect. VI. 11., note Prosequi...)
    • (ambiguous) to kindle ambition in some one's mind: aliquem cupiditate honorum inflammare (or aliquem ad cupiditatem honorum inflammare)
    • (ambiguous) to aspire to dignity, high honours: honores concupiscere (opp. aspernari)
    • (ambiguous) to speak of some one respectfully: honoris causa aliquem nominare or appellare
    • (ambiguous) to pay divine honours to some one: alicui divinos honores tribuere, habere
    • (ambiguous) to rise, mount to the honours of office: ad honores ascendere
    • (ambiguous) to reach the highest grade of office: amplissimos honorum gradus assequi, adipisci
    • (ambiguous) to attain to the highest offices: ad summos honores pervenire (cf. also sect. V. 17)
    • (ambiguous) to seek office: petere magistratum, honores
    • (ambiguous) to invest a person with a position of dignity: honores alicui mandare, deferre
  • honor in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • honor in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
  • De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill
  1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill
  2. Voyles, Joseph & Barrack, Charles (2009): An Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Early Indo-European Languages

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin honor.

Noun

honor m (oblique plural honors, nominative singular honors, nominative plural honor)

  1. honor; honour

Descendants


Polish

Etymology

From Latin honor.

Noun

honor m inan

  1. honour, honor (praiseworthiness, respect)

Declension


Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish onor, from Latin honor, honoris.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /oˈnoɾ/

Noun

honor m (plural honores)

  1. honor

Further reading

Anagrams


Swedish

Noun

honor

  1. indefinite plural of hona
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