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favor

noun
/ˈfeɪ.və/UK/ˈfeɪ.vɚ/US

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.

  1. derived from *bʰeh₂-✻
  2. derived from favor
  3. derived from favor
  4. derived from favour
  5. inherited from favour

Definitions

  1. A kind or helpful deed

    A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).

    • He did me a favor when he took the time to drive me home.

  2. Goodwill

    Goodwill; benevolent regard.

    • 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.

  3. A small gift

    A small gift; a party favor.

    • 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.
  4. ›+ 15 more definitions

    1. Mildness or mitigation of punishment

      Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.

      • I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.

    2. The object of regard

      The object of regard; person or thing favoured.

      • All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, / His chief delight and favour.

    3. Appearance

      Appearance; look; countenance; face.

      • This boy is fair, of female favour.

    4. Partiality

      Partiality; bias

    5. A letter, a written communication.

      • I will now take some notice of your last favour; but being so far behind-hand with you, must be brief.

    6. A resemblance, likeness.

    7. Anything worn publicly as a pledge of a woman's favor.

      • 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.

    8. A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of…

      A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of an event.

      • 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.

    9. To look upon fondly

      To look upon fondly; to prefer.

      • 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.

    10. To use more often.

      • […] alone, without having to favor his right, uninjured leg, […]

    11. To encourage, conduce to

    12. To do a favor [noun sense 1] for

      To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward.

      • Would you favor us with a poetry reading?

    13. To resemble

      To resemble; especially, to look like (another person).

      • 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.

    14. To treat or use (something) gently

      • I always try to favor my bad knee.

    15. A surname.

The neighborhood

Derived

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

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at favor. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01favor02regard03detail04enough05needed06necessary07avoid08away09discard10favour

A definitional loop anchored at favor. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at favor

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA