Honor \Hon"or\ ([o^]n"[~e]r), n. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.] [Written also {honour}.] 1. Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence.
A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country. --Matt. xiii. 57.
2. That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specif., in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthness; in women, purity; chastity.
If she have forgot Honor and virtue. --Shak.
Godlike erect, with native honor clad. --Milton.
3. A nice sense of what is right, just, and true, with course of life correspondent thereto; strict conformity to the duty imposed by conscience, position, or privilege.
Say, what is honor? 'T is the finest sense Of justice which the human mind can frame, Intent each lurking frailty to disclaim, And guard the way of life from all offense Suffered or done. --Wordsworth.
I could not love thee, dear, so much, Loved I not honor more. --Lovelace.
4. That to which esteem or consideration is paid; distinguished position; high rank. ``Restored me to my honors.'' --Shak.
I have given thee . . . both riches, and honor. --1 Kings iii. 13.
Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. --Ps. civ. 1.
5. Fame; reputation; credit.
Some in theiractions do woo, and affect honor and reputation. --Bacon.
If my honor is meant anything distinct from conscience, 't is no more than a regard to the censure and esteem of the world. --Rogers.
6. A token of esteem paid to worth; a mark of respect; a ceremonial sign of consideration; as, he wore an honor on his breast; military honors; civil honors. ``Their funeral honors.'' --Dryden.
7. A cause of respect and fame; a glory; an excellency; an ornament; as, he is an honor to his nation.
8. A title applied to the holders of certain honorable civil offices, or to persons of rank; as, His Honor the Mayor. See Note under {Honorable}.
9. (Feud. Law) A seigniory or lordship held of the king, on which other lordships and manors depended. --Cowell.
10. pl. Academic or university prizes or distinctions; as, honors in classics.
11. pl. (Whist) The ace, king, queen, and jack of trumps. The ten and nine are sometimes called Dutch honors. --R. A. Proctor.
{Affair of honor}, a dispute to be decided by a duel, or the duel itself.
{Court of honor}, a court or tribunal to investigate and decide questions relating to points of honor; as a court of chivalry, or a military court to investigate acts or omissions which are unofficerlike or ungentlemanly in their nature.
{Debt of honor}, a debt contracted by a verbal promise, or by betting or gambling, considered more binding than if recoverable by law.
{Honor bright!} An assurance of truth or fidelity. [Colloq.]
{Honor court} (Feudal Law), one held in an honor or seignory.
{Honor point}. (Her.) See {Escutcheon}.
{Honors of war} (Mil.), distinctions granted to a vanquished enemy, as of marching out from a camp or town armed, and with colors flying.
{Law of honor} or {Code of honor}, certain rules by which social intercourse is regulated among persons of fashion, and which are founded on a regard to reputation. --Paley.
{Maid of honor}, a lady of rank, whose duty it is to attend the queen when she appears in public.
{On one's honor}, on the pledge of one's honor; as, the members of the House of Lords in Great Britain, are not under oath, but give their statements or verdicts on their honor.
{Point of honor}, a scruple or nice distinction in matters affecting one's honor; as, he raised a point of honor.
{To do the honors}, to bestow honor, as on a guest; to act as host or hostess at an entertainment. ``To do the honors and to give the word.'' --Pope.
{To do one honor}, to confer distinction upon one.
{To have the honor}, to have the privilege or distinction.
{Word of honor}, an engagement confirmed by a pledge of honor.
honour \honour\ n. & v. Same as {honor}; -- chiefly British usage. [Brit.] [PJC]
I honour him for his courage and his actions: I don't follow him in what he now thinks and feels.
We should strike a medal in Julia's honour. No medals are due to the British women.
Before his speech Oxford's L'Chaim Society hosted a dinner in his honour. Shmuel Boteach, Oxford's rabbi, began the meal with a speech meant to pour oil on the troubled waters.
Mr Carttiss said he had sought to honour the manifesto while Mr Major had failed to fulfil pledges to curb the sums paid by Britain to the European Union.
His Algernon would honour the most perfect Importance cast.
Victoria Clark of The Observer won the David Blundy Award in honour of the former Sunday Correspondent journalist killed in El Salvador.
Le Chateau du feu ('The castle of fire') was written later, after the holocaust, for a big manifestation in honour of the French Resistance.
Their aim is to go about their business before the shutters go up at lunchtime in honour of Germany's daft laws governing shopping hours. Ladies flit from store to store in crisp red blazers and black pants.
This is a fine old Provencal mansion that has now been made into an excellent museum of theatre and the performing arts in honour of the founding father of the Festival.
Exiled Haitian president Jen-Bertrand Aristide calling for renewed sanctions against his country to force its military rulers to honour a UN-brokered peace deal.
A Song at Twilight is Coward's most adult play, and so this revival does him honour. At the Greenwich Theatre, SE10.
Although this authority has been operated by United recently, Pan Am said it would honour all reservations issued by the larger carrier for flights after May 17. On May 23, it will resume services on the Detroit-London route with three weekly flights.
All honour to Michael Somes, great Ashtonian, who has mounted the ballet impeccably.
Britain is the largest foreign investor in India. Mr Major will be guest of honour at India's republic day celebrations on Tuesday.
Mr Mandela used that occasion to reassure businessmen concerned about the prospect of nationalisation of industry in post-apartheid South Africa and made clear an ANC government would honour external debt commitments.
In 1990, a US company, Electronic Data Systems, won a battle in the High Court in London to make an employee honour an agreement to pay Pounds 4,500 of his training costs if he left within three years of completing a course.
We could go to the airlines and say: 'We'll do the honour of selling your tickets if you sell them to us at good rates'.' That is one reason why Ansell wants to get into long-haul flights.
Coopers & Lybrand said it would try to sell to a buyer able to provide the maximum number of jobs and one with sufficient financial strength to honour redundancy obligations.
Guest of honour was ANC president Nelson Mandela.
He does them full honour. In classical works he exercises respectful self-restraint.
Susan Harley of the Theatre League calls the Tony voting process an 'honour system'.
Regarded by many as the greatest living conductor, Carlos Kleiber joins forces with the Berlin Philharmonic tomorrow for a benefit concert in honour of the departing German president, Richard von Weizsaecker, at the orchestra's home in Berlin.
He may not be the youngest president, a honour belonging to Teddy Roosevelt, but, even more than Kennedy, he is the representative of a different and younger generation.
We have no doubt that the EC will honour its commitments. How soon and under what conditions do you think it would be sensible to seek the approval of the Swiss people for a renewed approach to joining the EEA or the EC itself? We have to be very careful.
Most escape to their rooms eventually, but it is no understatement to say that playing for England abroad is more of an ordeal than an honour. And yet there are parallels between the players and their followers.
'You can argue with it, but the standards are consistently high.' In its 85-year existence, the Marlowe has, in director John Barton's words, produced 'a long roll call of honour'.
Textile company Daiichibo weakened Y22 to Y115 on reports that a subsidiary had failed to honour a bill.
No major honour, I rue, for the best film of the final days, Georgia's The Beloved.
To honour some of those who tried to rid the world of Hitler, he named the best runs in Taos after them.
The art school had a tradition to uphold. Aarons saved Camberwell's honour by turning, nicking and snicking the Isle's fast bowlers for at least 40 runs, far more than anyone else on his losing side.