favor
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: law
Etymology: From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor (“good will; kindness; partiality”), from faveō (“to be kind to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Respelled in American English to more closely match its Latin etymon. Compare also Danish favør (“favor”), Irish fabhar (“favor”), from the same Romance source.
Inflected forms:
form: favors
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: favour
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Commonwealth
Ireland
form: favors
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: favoring
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: favored
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: favored
pos: verb
tags: past
form: favour
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Commonwealth
Ireland
Senses:
gloss: A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: He did me a favor when he took the time to drive me home.
gloss: Goodwill; benevolent regard.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: She enjoyed the queen's favor.
to fall out of favor
Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady.[…]She looked around expectantly, and recognizing Mrs. Cooke's maid[…]Miss Thorn greeted her with a smile which greatly prepossessed us in her favor.
Samara: She confuses her victims, twists their feelings. They will do anything for her favor.
gloss: A small gift; a party favor.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: wedding favor
At the holiday dinner, the hosts had set a favor by each place setting.
A marriage favour is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding.
Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and
stick it in thy cap: when Alencon and myself were
down together, I plucked this glove from his helm […]
The rain drove into the bride and bridegroom's faces as they passed to the chariot. The postilions' favours draggled on their dripping jackets.
gloss: Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.
gloss: The object of regard; person or thing favoured.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, / His chief delight and favour.
gloss: Appearance; look; countenance; face.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: This boy is fair, of female favour.
gloss: Partiality; bias
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A letter, a written communication.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
countable
uncountable
examples: I will now take some notice of your last favour; but being so far behind-hand with you, must be brief.
gloss: A resemblance, likeness.
pos: noun
tags: Northern-England
archaic
countable
uncountable
gloss: Anything worn publicly as a pledge of a woman's favor.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: James probably saw the family treasures, which included a little pair of gloves embroidered with pearls and the device of a lion, a lady's favour, said to have been taken from Harry Hotspur before the battle of Otterburn in 1388.
gloss: A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of an event.
pos: noun
tags: countable
historical
uncountable
examples: The bride favors, or true love knots, ancient symbols of love, faith, and friendship, pointing out the indisssoluble tie of affection and duty, did not, as might be supposed, take their name of true love knots from the words "true" and "love,", but from the Danish verb "Trulofa," that is, "I plight my troth of faith." These knots were formerly distributed in great abundance; were worn in the hats by gentlemen, and consisted of variously colored ribbons, which were chosen by the bride and her maids, sometimes after long and serious discussions.
Of all the new war cotillion favors yet devised there is hardly anything more novel than these. Aigrettes that are bunches of ribbons, red, white and blue, designed to be pinned in the hair at once, make up another favor.
Since the good news young folk—and old, too, for that matter—bedeck themselves with favors. Charms hand pendent from the watch chain, from neck pins.
We can and should borrow choice items, such as bell pads, favors and flowered hats , which can easily be adapted […]
[…] honor was bestowed upon the latter because he was the proud possessor of luxurious blond hair and had the most beautiful single curl tied with a ribbon. The lovelock was thereafter called a cadcnettc and the ribbon bowknots, favors.
gloss: To look upon fondly; to prefer.
pos: verb
examples: And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Even in an era when individuality in dress is a cult, his clothes were noticeable. He was wearing a hard hat of the low round kind favoured by hunting men, and with it a black duffle-coat lined with white.
gloss: To use more often.
pos: verb
examples: […] alone, without having to favor his right, uninjured leg, […]
gloss: To encourage, conduce to
pos: verb
examples: These [boys being groomed as prostitutes] are sold by their parents (sometimes stolen from them), about the age of 4, and educated, while they are also subjected to a special physical training, which includes massage of the gluteal regions to favor development, dilatation of the anus, and epilation (which is not, however, practised by Chinese women).
gloss: To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward.
pos: verb
examples: Would you favor us with a poetry reading?
gloss: To resemble; especially, to look like (another person).
pos: verb
examples: I thought—it doesn't matter—you seemed to favour your ma,
You’re complected like your pa. He had red hair. But you favor your ma in your eyes and mouth.
‘Mandy?’ he said, and stared at the girl. ‘Don't favor her too much.’ ‘Favors her dad,’ Latha said, and looked at him.
[…] chamomile and apples? Those particular smellalikes tested our imagination. Yet much of what he said was right on the mark. The scent of sweet peas, for instance, does indeed favor that of wisteria.
The way things repeat themselves, across time — not just in the replications and recombinations of family and place ("He favors his momma, she favors her daddy"), but in the accretion of like patterns […]
gloss: To treat or use (something) gently
pos: verb
examples: I always try to favor my bad knee.
Synonyms: aid
help
lending a hand
token
abet
assist
endorse
favoritize
favourite
sanction
Antonyms: discrimination
disfavor
unfavor
harm
sabotage
discriminate
Derived words: curry favor
every good boy deserves favor
fall out of favor
favor bank
grace and favor
in favor with
in favor → in favor of
in something's favor
kissing goes by favor
may the odds be ever in your favor
not do someone any favors
out of favor
party favor
return the favor
sexual favor
unfavor
without fear or favor
favorite
misfavor
favorable
favourable
favored
favoured
favorer
favourer
favorise
favourite
favoritism
favouritism
overfavor
Translations: