honour

[on-er]

noun

Chiefly British.

1. honor.

honour

¹

/ ˈɒnə /

noun

1. personal integrity; allegiance to moral principles

2. 1. fame or glory

   2. a person or thing that wins this for another

      he is an honour to the school

3. (often plural) great respect, regard, esteem, etc, or an outward sign of this

4. (often plural) high or noble rank

5. a privilege or pleasure

   it is an honour to serve you

6. a woman's virtue or chastity

7. 1. bridge poker any of the top five cards in a suit or any of the four aces at no trumps

   2. whist any of the top four cards

8. golf the right to tee off first

9. 1. to pay homage to

   2. to be a credit to

10. 1. to serve as host or hostess

    2. to perform a social act, such as carving meat, proposing a toast, etc

11. slang:school,  an exclamation pledging honour

12. under a moral obligation

13. out of respect for

14. on the pledge of one's word or good name

verb

1. to hold in respect or esteem

2. to show courteous behaviour towards

3. to worship

4. to confer a distinction upon

5. to accept and then pay when due (a cheque, draft, etc)

6. to keep (one's promise); fulfil (a previous agreement)

7. to bow or curtsy to (one's dancing partner)

Honour

²

/ ˈɒnə /

noun

1. 1. a title used to or of certain judges

   2. (in Ireland) a form of address in general use

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• honourless adjective
• honourer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of honour¹

C12: from Old French onor, from Latin honor esteem

Example Sentences

For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life.

From BBC

"It has been a great honour to lead the UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, implementing a new strategy and overseeing significant organisational transformation," Dr Innes said.

From BBC

It comes after members of the RMT union walked out during the last August bank holiday weekend over allegations CrossCountry had failed to honour agreements on staffing, safety, and pay.

From BBC

The fashion brand also had a partnership with the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team, with one of their drivers, Charles Leclerc writing on Instagram that it was "a great honour to have had the chance to meet and work with such an amazing person".

From BBC

Armani was also presented with the French Legion of Honour and Italian Order of Merit for Labour for his work in fashion.

From BBC