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favourite

adj
/ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

Etymology

Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb faveō (“to favour”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Doublet of favori.

  1. derived from *bʰeh₂-✻
  2. derived from favor
  3. derived from favorire — “to favor”
  4. derived from favorito — “favoured, favourite”
  5. derived from favorit
  6. borrowed from favorit

Definitions

  1. Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes…

    Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)

    • This is my favourite day!
    • I saw a hilariously funny movie with all of my favourite comedians in it.
    • The Nanny is one of Pippa's favourite shows, but tonight the pleasure of mindlessly blobbing out in her usual Sunday-laid-back-luxury style...

  2. Liked, cherished.

    • What joy has this dog in miſchief!—More than I can have in the completion of my moſt favourite purpoſes!

  3. A person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.

    • The teacher's favourite always went first.
  4. ›+ 7 more definitions

    1. A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.

    2. A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.

      • You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.
      • She's the favourite, she'll probably be elected.
      • Netherlands, one of the pre-tournament favourites, combined their undoubted guile, creativity, pace and attacking quality with midfield grit and organisation.

    3. A bookmark on a web browser or website.

    4. A short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of Charles II.

      • the Favourites hang loose upon the Temples with a languishing Lock in the middle

    5. To favour.

    6. To bookmark.

    7. To add to one's list of favourite items on a website that allows users to compile such…

      To add to one's list of favourite items on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

The neighborhood

Derived

favicon, favouritemost, favouritest, favouritism, hot favourite, mass favourite, unbackable favourite, fave

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at favourite. 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.

01favourite02cherished03valued04esteemed05respected06special07dear08loved09love10darling

A definitional loop anchored at favourite. 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 favourite

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