honey

• hunny

From Middle English hony, honi, from Old English huniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hunag, from Proto-Germanic *hunagą (compare West Frisian hunich, German Honig), from earlier *hunangą (compare Swedish honung), from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂onk-o-s, from *kn̥h₂ónks.

Cognate with Middle Welsh canecon (“gold”), Latin canicae pl (“bran”), Tocharian B kronkśe (“bee”), Albanian qengjë (“beehive”), Ancient Greek κνῆκος (knêkos, “safflower”), Northern Kurdish şan (“beehive”), Northern Luri گونج‎ (gonj, “Bee”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈhʌni/

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• Rhymes: -ʌni
• Hyphenation: hon‧ey

honey (usually uncountable, plural honeys or (archaic) honies)

1. (uncountable) A viscous, sweet fluid produced from plant nectar by bees. Often used to sweeten tea or to spread on baked goods.

   The honey in the pot should last for years.

2. (countable) A variety of this substance.
   • 1908, United States. Bureau of Chemistry, Bulletin‎, number 110-114:

     The physical properties of the different honeys, color, granulation, aroma, flavor, etc., are indicated in the table only in a very general way.

   • 1949, Roy A. Grout, editor, The Hive and the Honey Bee‎:

     If two of the California honeys, western hyssop and fleabane, having a positive polarization at 200 C. are disregarded, then the remaining...

   • 2011, Stephen Taylor, Advances in Food and Nutrition Research‎, volume 62:

     Eucalyptus honeys could be characterized based on seven volatile compounds, whereas lavender honeys had only five...

3. (rare) Nectar.
4. (figuratively) Something sweet or desirable.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene iii], line 91–93:

     O my love, my wife! / Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath / Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

   • 1613, William Shakespeare; [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:

     the honey of his language

5. A term of affection.

   Honey, would you take out the trash?

   Honey, I'm home.

   • 2013 July 30, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013:

     "So far, so good... are you doing okay?" "Flying... is awesome!" "Focus, honey."

6. (countable, informal) A woman, especially an attractive one.

   Man, there are some fine honeys here tonight!

7. A spectrum of pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like that of most types of (the sweet substance) honey.

   honey:  

• (sweet fluid from bees): mel
• (term of affection): darling, sweetie, see also Thesaurus:sweetheart

• food

• → Japanese: ハニー (hanī)
• →⇒ Jarai: ia hơni
• → Marshallese: ōne
• Sranan Tongo: oni
• Tok Pisin: hani

honey (not comparable)

1. Involving or resembling honey.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:

     So work the honey-bees, / Creatures that by a rule in nature teach / The act of order to a peopled kingdom.

2. Of a pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like most types of honey.

honey (third-person singular simple present honeys, present participle honeying, simple past and past participle honeyed)

1. (transitive) To sweeten; to make agreeable.
2. (transitive) To add honey to.
3. (intransitive) To be gentle, agreeable, or coaxing; to talk fondly; to use endearments.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iv]:

     Honeying and making love.

4. (intransitive) To be or become obsequiously courteous or complimentary; to fawn.
   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “Prologue”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 2024748, page 6:

     [O]ne / Discuss'd his tutor, rough to common men / But honeying at the whisper of a lord; / And one the Master, as a rogue in grain / Veneer'd with sanctimonious theory.

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• Appendix:Colors