The word honor definition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valour, chivalry, honesty, and compassion. It is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or institutions such as a family, school, regiment, or nation. Accordingly, individuals (or institutions) are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their actions with a specific code of honour, and the moral code of the society at large.

Samuel Johnson, in his A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), defined honour as having several senses, the first of which was «nobility of soul, magnanimity, and a scorn of meanness».
This sort of honour derives from the perceived virtuous conduct and personal integrity of the person endowed with it. On the other hand, Johnson also defined honour in relationship to «reputation» and «fame»; to «privileges of rank or birth», and as «respect» of the kind which «places an individual socially and determines his right to precedence». This sort of honour is often not so much a function of moral or ethical excellence, as it is a consequence of power. Finally, with respect to sexuality, honour has traditionally been associated with (or identical to) «chastity» or «virginity», or in case of married men and women, «fidelity». Some have argued that honour should be seen more as a rhetoric, or set of possible actions, than as a code.

[edit]

Honour as a code of behaviour defines the duties of an individual within a social group. Margaret Visser observes that in an honour-based society «a person is what he or she is in the eyes of other people».^[1] A code of honour differs from a legal code, also socially defined and concerned with justice, in that honour remains implicit rather than explicit and objectified.

One can distinguish honour from dignity, which Wordsworth assessed as measured against an individual’s conscience^[2] rather than against the judgement of a community. Compare also the sociological concept of «face».

In the early medieval period, a lord’s or lady’s honour was the group of manors or lands he or she held. «The word was first used indicating an estate which gave its holder dignity and status.»^[3] For a person to say «on my honour» was not just an affirmation of his or her integrity and rank, but the veracity behind that phrase meant he or she was willing to offer up estates as pledge and guarantee.

The concept of honour appears to have declined in importance in the modern West; conscience has replaced it^[4] in the individual context, and the rule of law (with the rights and duties defined therein) has taken over in a social context. Popular stereotypes would have it surviving more definitively in more tradition-bound cultures (e.g. Pashtun, Southern Italian, Polish, Persian, Turkish, Arab, Iberian, «Old South» or Dixie) in a perception akin to Orientalism. Feudal or other agrarian societies, which focus upon land use and land ownership, may tend to «honour» more than do contemporary industrial societies. Note that Saint Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109) in Cur Deus Homo extended the concept of honour from his own feudal society to postulate God’s honour.^[5]

An emphasis on the importance of honour exists in such traditional institutions as the military (serving officers may conduct a court of honour) and in organisations with a military ethos, such as Scouting organisations (which also feature «Courts of Honour»^[6]).

Honour in the case of sexuality frequently relates, historically, to fidelity: preservation of «honour» equates primarily to maintenance of the virginity of singles and to the exclusive monogamy of the remainder of the population. Further conceptions of this type of honour vary widely between cultures; some cultures regard honour killings of (mostly female) members of one’s own family as justified if the individuals have «defiled the family’s honour» by marrying against the family’s wishes, usually for reasons such as refusing to enter an arranged marriage, having sex outside marriage, dressing in ways which are deemed inappropriate, or engaging in homosexual relations or even by becoming the victims of rape. Western observers generally see these honour killings as a way of men using the culture of honour to control female sexuality.^[7]

Skinners, executioners, grave-diggers, shepherds, barber-surgeons, millers, linen-weavers, sow-gelders, latrine-cleaners, and bailiffs and their families were among the «dishonourable people» (unehrliche Leute) in early modern German society.^[8]

Cultural difference from law[edit]

Various sociologists and anthropologists have contrasted cultures of honour with cultures of law. A culture of law has a body of laws which all members of society must obey, with punishments for transgressors. This requires a society with the structures required to enact and enforce laws. A culture of law incorporates a social contract: members of society give up some aspects of their freedom to defend themselves and retaliate for injuries, on the understanding that society will apprehend and punish transgressors.

An alternative to government enforcement of laws is community or individual enforcement of social norms.

One way that honour functions is as a major factor of reputation. In a system where there is no court that will authorise the use of force to guarantee the execution of contracts, an honourable reputation is very valuable to promote trust among transaction partners. To dishonour an agreement could be economically ruinous, because all future potential transaction partners might stop trusting the party not to lie, steal their money or goods, not repay debts, mistreat the children they marry off, have children with other people, abandon their children, or fail to provide aid when needed. A dishonourable person might be shunned by the community as a way to punish bad behaviour and create an incentive for others to maintain their honour.

If one’s honour is questioned, it can thus be important to disprove any false accusations or slander. In some cultures, the practice of dueling has arisen as a means to settle such disputes firmly, though by physical dominance in force or skill rather than by objective consideration of evidence and facts.

Honour can also imply duty to perform certain actions, such as providing for and disciplining one’s children, serving in the military during war, contributing to local collective projects like building infrastructure, or exacting revenge in retaliation for acts one is directly harmed by.

Family honour[edit]

The concept of personal honour can be extended to family honour, which strengthens the incentives to follow social norms in two ways. First, the consequences of dishonourable actions (such as suicide or attempted robbery that results in death) outlive the perpetrator, and negatively affect family members they presumably care about. Second, when one member of the family misbehaves, other members of the family are in the position to and are incentivised to strongly enforce the community norms.

In strong honour cultures, those who do not conform may be forced or pressured into conformance and transgressors punished physically or psychologically. The use of violence may be collective in its character, where many relatives act together.^[9] The most extreme form of punishment is honour killing. Dueling and vengeance at a family level can result in a sustained feud.

Honour-based cultures are also known as honour-shame cultures and are contrasted with guilt cultures on the guilt-shame-fear spectrum of cultures.

Cultures of honour are often conservative, encoding pre-modern traditional family values and duties. In some cases these values clash with those of post-sexual revolution and egalitarian societies. Add to this the prohibition against vigilante or individual justice-taking, cultures of law sometimes consider practices in honour cultures to be unethical or a violation of the legal concept of human rights.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Examples[edit]

Historians have especially examined the culture of honour in the American South.^[13][14] Social scientists have looked at specialised subcultures such as South Asian Muslims in Britain.^[15] Others have compared multiple modern nations.^[16]

One paper finds that present-day Canadians born in communities that historically lay outside the reach of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Mounties) seem to inherit a violent code of honour that drives their behaviour.^[17]

From the viewpoint of anthropologists, cultures of honour typically appear among nomadic peoples and among herdsmen who carry their most valuable property with them and risk having it stolen, without having recourse to law enforcement or to government. Due to the lack of strong institutions, cultivating a reputation for swift and disproportionate revenge increases the safety of one’s person and property against aggressive actors.^[18] Thinkers ranging from Plato to Montesquieu have remarked upon the mindset needed for a culture of honour.

According to Richard Nisbett, cultures of honour will often arise when three conditions^[19] exist:

1. a scarcity of resources
2. situations in which the benefit of theft and crime outweighs the risks
3. a lack of sufficient law-enforcement (such as in geographically remote regions)

Historically, cultures of honour exist in places where the herding of animals dominates an economy. In this situation the geography is usually extensive, since the soil cannot support extensive sustained farming and thus large populations; the benefit of stealing animals from other herds is high since it is the main form of wealth; and there is no central law-enforcement or rule of law. However cultures of honour can also appear in places like modern inner-city slums. The three conditions exist here as well: lack of resources (poverty); crime and theft have a high rewards compared to the alternatives (few); and law enforcement is generally lax or corrupt.^[19]

Once a culture of honour exists in a society, its members find it difficult to make the transition to a culture of law; this requires that people become willing to back down and refuse to immediately retaliate, and from the viewpoint of the culture of honour, the feeling humiliation makes personal restraint extremely difficult as it reflects weakness and appeasement.

War of 1812[edit]

Historian Norman Risjord has emphasised the central importance of honour as a cause of the War of 1812, which the United States launched in against Britain despite its much more powerful naval and military strength.^[20] Americans of every political stripe saw the need to uphold national honour, and to reject the treatment of the United States by Britain as a third class nonentity. Americans talked incessantly about the need for force in response.^[21] This quest for honour was a major cause of the war in the sense that most Americans who were not involved in mercantile interests or threatened by Indian attack strongly endorsed the preservation of national honour.^[22] The humiliating attack by HMS Leopard against USS Chesapeake in June 1807 was a decisive event.^[23] Historians have documented the importance of honour in shaping public opinion in a number of states, including Massachusetts,^[24] Ohio,^[25] Pennsylvania,^[26][27] and Tennessee,^[28] as well as the territory of Michigan.^[29] Americans widely celebrated the conclusion of the war as successful, especially after the spectacular defeat of the main British invasion army at New Orleans^[30] did restore the American sense of honour.

National honor, the reputation of republican government, and the continuing supremacy of the Republican party had seemed to be at stake … National honor had [now] been satisfied,» says historian Lance Banning, «Americans celebrated the end of the struggle with a brilliant burst of national pride.^[31]

The British showed a respect for American honour. «Some of the strongest praise for America and swiftest recognition of what the young republic had achieved for American honor, prestige, and power came from within British naval circles.»^[32] Britain refrained from interfering with American maritime interests and ceased with the impressment of American citizens following the war.

Predisposition in the United States of America[edit]

A 2016 study suggests that honour culture increases the risk of war. The study found that international conflicts under U.S. presidents who were raised in the South of the country «are shown to be twice as likely to involve uses of force, last on average twice as long, and are three times more likely to end in victory for the United States than disputes under non-Southern presidents. Other characteristics of Southern presidencies do not seem able to account for this pattern of results.»^[33][34][35]

See also[edit]

• Bushido
• Chivalry
• Code duello
• Culture of honor (Southern United States)
• Dignitas (Roman concept)
• Ethos
• Feud
• Honorary degree
• Honor killing
• Honour system
• Izzat (Honor)
• Moka exchange
• Omertà
• Order (distinction)
• Pashtunwali
• Personal rights
• Personality rights
• Potlatch
• The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
• Youxia

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Bowman, James. Honor: A History. Encounter Books, 2006. ISBN 1-59403-142-8. Cf. excerpts from writings of James Bowman on Honor.
• Cossen, William S. «Blood, honor, reform, and God: anti-dueling associations and moral reform in the Old South.» American Nineteenth Century History 19.1 (2018): 23–45.
• d’Iribarne, Philippe. The Logic of Honor: National Traditions and Corporate Management. Welcome Rain Publishers, 2003. ISBN 978-1-56649-182-2.
• Hauser, Marc. Moral Minds: How nature designed our universal sense of right and wrong. New York: Ecco Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-06-078070-8.
• Hein, David. «America’s Honor: Lost and Regained.» Modern Age 63, no. 4 (Fall 2021): 17–25.
• Hein, David. «Rethinking Honor». Journal of Thought 17.1 (Spring 1982): 3–6.
• Hein, David. «Learning Responsibility and Honor». Washington Times, 3 July 2008.
• Hein, David. «Christianity and Honor.» The Living Church, 18 August 2013, pp. 8–10.
• Montesquieu. The Spirit of the Laws. 2 vols.Online
• Nisbett, Richard E., and Dov Cohen. Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South. Westview, 1996. ISBN 0-8133-1993-5.
• Pinker, Steven. The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2002. ISBN 0-670-03151-8.
• Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. Southern Honor: Ethics and Behavior in the Old South (1982), Antebellum United States

Further reading[edit]

• For a closer understanding of the way in which ideas of honour (and related shame) are linked to social structures such as law and religion, a reading of the works of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu is worthwhile, particularly with reference to his discussions of the idea of «habitus».^{[citation needed]}

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• honour (British, Commonwealth, Irish)

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn.ɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒn.ə/
• Rhymes: -ɒnə(ɹ)

Noun[edit]

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 or successful)

   The crowds gave the returning general much honor and praise.

   • 1852, Alfred Tennyson, “Stanza X”, in Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, 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 honor and chivalry.

   His honor 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 honor intact.
     Shepard: I do.
     Prothean: Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor 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

   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.

   • 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:

     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.

Usage notes[edit]

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[edit]

• chivalry
• glory
• gentlemanliness

Antonyms[edit]

• dishonor

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

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[edit]

• worthy (verb)

Antonyms[edit]

• despise
• contempt

Derived terms[edit]

• dishonor, dishonour

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Catalan honor, from Latin honōrem, accusative of honor.

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

honor m (plural honors)

1. honour

   Antonym: deshonor

Derived terms[edit]

• deshonor

[edit]

• honorable
• honorari
• honorífic
• honrar
• seat of honor

Further reading[edit]

• “honor” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “honor”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “honor” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “honor” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Latin[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• honos (ante-classical)

Etymology[edit]

From Old Latin honōs, 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[edit]

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈho.nor/, [ˈhɔnɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈo.nor/, [ˈɔːnor]

Noun[edit]

honor m (genitive honōris); third declension

1. honor, esteem, dignity, reputation, office

Declension[edit]

Third-declension noun.

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

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

• “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 with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• honor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], 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)‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Old French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• anor, enor, honnor, honur, onor, onur

Etymology[edit]

From Latin honor, honōrem.

Noun[edit]

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

1. honor; honour

Descendants[edit]

• → English: honor, honour
• Middle French: honneur
  • French: honneur
• → Middle Irish: onóir, anóir
  • Irish: onóir
  • Scottish Gaelic: onoir

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin honor.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɔ.nɔr/
• Rhymes: -ɔnɔr
• Syllabification: ho‧nor

Noun[edit]

honor m inan

1. honour, honor (praiseworthiness, respect)

Declension[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• → Old Ruthenian: го́норъ (hónor), го́неръ (hóner)
  • Belarusian: го́нар (hónar)
  • Rusyn: го́нор (hónor)
  • Ukrainian: го́нор (hónor); го́нір (hónir) (dialectal)
  • → Middle Russian: го́норъ (gónor)
    • Russian: го́нор (gónor)

Further reading[edit]

• honor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• honor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Spanish onor, from Latin honor, honōrem.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /oˈnoɾ/ [oˈnoɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: ho‧nor

Noun[edit]

honor m (plural honores)

1. honor

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “honor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Anagrams[edit]

• honro, honró, horno

Swedish[edit]

Noun[edit]

honor

1. indefinite plural of hona.

hon·or

 (ŏn′ər)

n.

1. High respect, as that shown for special merit; recognition or esteem: the honor shown to a Nobel laureate; the place of honor at the table.

2.

a. Great privilege: I have the honor of presenting the governor.

b. Good name; reputation: I must defend my honor.

c. A source or cause of credit: was an honor to the profession.

3. A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction, such as a military decoration.

4. honors

a. Public acts or ceremonies showing respect: was buried with full honors.

b. Special recognition for unusual academic achievement: graduated with honors.

c. A program of advanced study for exceptional students: planned to take honors in history.

d. Social courtesies offered to guests: did the honors at tea.

5. High rank: assumed the honor of kingship.

6. Honor Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for certain officials, such as judges and the mayors of certain cities: Her Honor, Judge Jones.

7.

a. A sense of principled uprightness of character; personal integrity: conducted herself with honor; saw the challenge as a matter of honor.

b. A code of integrity, dignity, and pride, chiefly among men, that was maintained in some societies, as in feudal Europe, by force of arms.

c. A woman’s chastity or reputation for chastity.

8. Sports The right of being first at the tee in golf.

9. Games

a. Any of the four or five highest cards, especially the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the trump suit, in card games such as bridge or whist.

b. often honors The points allotted to these cards.

tr.v. hon·ored, hon·or·ing, hon·ors

1.

a. To hold in respect; esteem: a researcher who is highly honored for her work.

b. To show respect for: honored the volunteers with a party.

c. To confer distinction on: He has honored us with his presence.

d. To bow to (another dancer) in square dancing: Honor your partner.

2. To accept or pay as valid: honor a check; a store that honors all credit cards.

Idioms:

honor bound

Under an obligation enforced by the personal integrity of the one obliged: I was honor bound to admit that she had done the work.

on (one’s) honor

Under an obligation enforced by the personal integrity of the one obliged.

---

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin.]

---

hon′or·er n.

Synonyms: honor, homage, reverence, veneration, deference
These nouns denote admiration, respect, or esteem accorded to another as a right or as due. Honor is the most general term: A stamp was issued in honor of her achievements. The ritual was intended to show honor to one’s ancestors. Homage is often in the form of a ceremonial tribute that conveys allegiance: «There is no country in which so absolute a homage is paid to wealth» (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Reverence is a feeling of deep respect and devotion: «Kill reverence and you’ve killed the hero in man» (Ayn Rand).
Veneration is both the feeling and the reverential expression of respect, love, and awe: «The account of Turner’s Rebellion that followed left no doubt that the authors considered the rebel leader a hero and martyr, worthy of veneration» (Scot French).
Deference is courteous, respectful regard for another that often implies yielding to him or her: The children were taught to show deference to their elders.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

honor

(ˈɒnə)

n, vb

the US spelling of honour

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hon•or

(ˈɒn ər)
n.

1. honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions: a code of honor.

2. a source of credit or distinction: to be an honor to one’s country.

3. high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in great honor.

4. such respect manifested: a memorial in honor of the dead; the place of honor at the table.

5. high public esteem; fame; glory: to earn a position of honor.

6. the privilege of being associated with or receiving a favor from a respected person, group, etc.: the honor of serving on a panel; I have the honor of introducing this evening’s speaker.

7. Usu., honors. evidence, as a special ceremony, decoration, scroll, or title, of high rank or distinction: military honors.

8. (cap.) a deferential title of respect, esp. for judges and mayors (prec. by His, Her, Your, etc.).

9. honors,

a. special rank or distinction conferred by a university, college, or school upon an outstanding student.

b. a class or course for advanced students, usu. involving accelerated or independent work.

c. (in Canada) a program of study at a university beyond the general course, for specialization in a particular subject.

10. chastity or purity in a woman.

11. Also called hon′or card`. (in bridge) any of the five highest trump cards or any of the four aces in a no-trump contract.

12. the privilege of teeing off in golf before the other player or side, given after the first hole to the player or side that won the previous hole.

v.t.

13. to hold in honor or high respect; revere: to honor one’s ancestors.

14. to treat with honor.

15. to confer honor or distinction upon.

16. to show a courteous regard for: to honor an invitation.

17. to accept or pay (a credit card, check, etc.).

18. to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of (an official document): to honor a treaty.

19. (in square dancing) to meet or salute with a bow.

adj.

20. of, pertaining to, or noting honor.

Idioms:

do the honors, to act as host, as in serving at the dinner table.

[1150–1200; (n.) Middle English (h)on(o)ur < Anglo-French (Old French (h)onor, onur) < Latin honor, earlier honōs; (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French (h)on(o)urer < Latin honōrāre, derivative of honor]

hon′or•er, n.

syn: honor, honesty, integrity, sincerity refer to the highest moral principles. honor denotes a fine sense of, and a strict conformity to, what is considered morally right or due: The soldier conducted himself with honor. honesty denotes moral virtue and particularly the absence of deceit or fraud: known for her honesty in business dealings. integrity indicates a soundness of moral principle that no power or influence can impair: a judge of unquestioned integrity. sincerity particularly implies the absence of dissimulation or deceit and a strong adherence to the truth: Your sincerity was evident in every word.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

honor

Past participle: honored
Gerund: honoring

Imperative
honor
honor

Present
I honor
you honor
he/she/it honors
we honor
you honor
they honor

Preterite
I honored
you honored
he/she/it honored
we honored
you honored
they honored

Present Continuous
I am honoring
you are honoring
he/she/it is honoring
we are honoring
you are honoring
they are honoring

Present Perfect
I have honored
you have honored
he/she/it has honored
we have honored
you have honored
they have honored

Past Continuous
I was honoring
you were honoring
he/she/it was honoring
we were honoring
you were honoring
they were honoring

Past Perfect
I had honored
you had honored
he/she/it had honored
we had honored
you had honored
they had honored

Future
I will honor
you will honor
he/she/it will honor
we will honor
you will honor
they will honor

Future Perfect
I will have honored
you will have honored
he/she/it will have honored
we will have honored
you will have honored
they will have honored

Future Continuous
I will be honoring
you will be honoring
he/she/it will be honoring
we will be honoring
you will be honoring
they will be honoring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been honoring
you have been honoring
he/she/it has been honoring
we have been honoring
you have been honoring
they have been honoring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been honoring
you will have been honoring
he/she/it will have been honoring
we will have been honoring
you will have been honoring
they will have been honoring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been honoring
you had been honoring
he/she/it had been honoring
we had been honoring
you had been honoring
they had been honoring

Conditional
I would honor
you would honor
he/she/it would honor
we would honor
you would honor
they would honor

Past Conditional
I would have honored
you would have honored
he/she/it would have honored
we would have honored
you would have honored
they would have honored

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

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