honour

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”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɒnə(ɹ)/

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• Rhymes: -ɒnə(ɹ)

honour (countable and uncountable, plural honours)

1. (uncountable) Recognition of importance or value; respect; veneration (of someone, usually for being morally upright or successful).

   The crowds gave the returning general much honour and praise.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 13:57:

     A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country.

   • 1852, Alfred Tennyson, “Stanza X”, in Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 897483676, page 14:

     And when the long-illumined cities flame, / Their ever-loyal iron leader's fame, / With honour, honour, honour, honour to him, / Eternal honour to his name.

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 honour and chivalry.

   His honour was unstained.

   • 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3: From Ashes (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, PC, scene: Normandy SR-2:

     Prothean: Those who share my purpose become allies. Those who do not become casualties.
     Shepard: Nothing in our fight against the Reapers has been that cut-and-dried.
     Prothean: Because you still have hope that this war will end with your honour intact.
     Shepard: I do.
     Prothean: Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honour matters.
     Prothean: The silence is your answer.

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.

   Honours are normally awarded twice a year: on The Queen's Birthday in June and at the New Year.

   He wore an honour on his breast.

   military honours; civil honours

   Audie Murphy received many honours, such as the Distinguished Service Cross.

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     their funeral honours

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, Bob—go 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.
   • 1523, Anthony Fitzherbert, Book of Surveying:

     The lorde of the honour or manour

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.

• dishonour

honour (third-person singular simple present honours, present participle honouring, simple past and past participle honoured)

1. British spelling, Canadian spelling, Commonwealth, and Ireland standard spelling of honor.

• honour in the breach

• “honour”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anglo-Norman honour.

honour (plural honours)

1. honour

• English: honour, honor

p. 1, Arthur; A Short Sketch of his Life and History in English Verse of the First Half of the Fifteenth Century, Frederick Furnivall ed. EETS. Trübner & Co.: London. 1864.

honour m (oblique plural honours, nominative singular honours, nominative plural honour)

1. Late Anglo-Norman spelling of honur

   […] prierent au roi qe mesme le cont purroit estre restorez a ses noun et honour de marquys queux il avoit pardevant.

   […] prayed to the king that even the count could be restored to his name and his honour of marquee that he had before