v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Honored p. pr. & vb. n. Honoring. ] [ OE. honouren, onouren, OF. honorer, honourer, F. honorer, fr. L. honorare, fr. honor, n. ] 1. To regard or treat with honor, esteem, or respect; to revere; to treat with deference and submission; when used of the Supreme Being, to reverence; to adore; to worship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Honor thy father and thy mother. Ex. xx. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. John v. 23. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is a custom
More honor'd in the breach than the observance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To dignify; to raise to distinction or notice; to bestow honor upon; to elevate in rank or station; to ennoble; to exalt; to glorify; hence, to do something to honor; to treat in a complimentary manner or with civility. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighten to honor. Esther vi. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

The name of Cassius honors this corruption. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Com.) To accept and pay when due; as, to honora bill of exchange. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country. Matt. xiii. 57. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Godlike erect, with native honor clad. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Purity; chastity; -- a term applied mostly to women, but becoming uncommon in usage. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

If she have forgot
Honor and virtue. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. 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; integrity; uprightness; trustworthness. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more. Lovelace. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. That to which esteem or consideration is paid; distinguished position; high rank. “Restored me to my honors.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have given thee . . . both riches, and honor. 1 Kings iii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Ps. civ. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Fame; reputation; credit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some in their actions do woo, and affect honor and reputation. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A cause of respect and fame; a glory; an excellency; an ornament; as, he is an honor to his nation. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Feud. Law) A seigniory or lordship held of the king, on which other lordships and manors depended. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. pl. Academic or university prizes or distinctions; as, honors in classics. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. pl. (Whist) The ace, king, queen, and jack of trumps. The ten and nine are sometimes called Dutch honors. R. A. Proctor. [ 1913 Webster ]

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) a lady of rank, whose duty it is to attend the queen when she appears in public. (b) the bride's principle attendant at a wedding, if unmarried. If married, she is referred to as the
matron of honor. --
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. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. honorable, L. honorabilis. ] 1. Worthy of honor; fit to be esteemed or regarded; estimable; illustrious. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy name and honorable family. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed to a just and proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair; as, an honorable motive. [ 1913 Webster ]

Is this proceeding just and honorable? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Conferring honor, or produced by noble deeds. [ 1913 Webster ]

Honorable wounds from battle brought. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem; to be commended; consistent with honor or rectitude. [ 1913 Webster ]

Marriage is honorable in all. Heb. xiii. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Performed or accompanied with marks of honor, or with testimonies of esteem; as, an honorable burial. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Of reputable association or use; respectable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let her descend: my chambers are honorable. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. An epithet of respect or distinction; as, the honorable Senate; the honorable gentleman. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Honorable is a title of quality, conferred by English usage upon the younger children of earls and all the children of viscounts and barons. The maids of honor, lords of session, and the supreme judges of England and Ireland are entitled to the prefix. In American usage, it is a title of courtesy merely, bestowed upon those who hold, or have held, any of the higher public offices, esp. governors, judges, members of Congress or of the Senate, mayors, and often also extended to lower officials, such as city council members. [ 1913 Webster ]

Right honorable. See under Right. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being honorable; eminence; distinction. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Conformity to the principles of honor, probity, or moral rectitude; fairness; uprightness; reputableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an honorable manner; in a manner showing, or consistent with, honor. [ 1913 Webster ]

The reverend abbot . . . honorably received him. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why did I not more honorably starve? Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Decently; becomingly. [ Obs. ] “Do this message honorably.” Shak.

Syn. -- Magnanimously; generously; nobly; worthily; justly; equitably; fairly; reputably.

a. [ L. honorarius, fr. honor honor: cf. F. honoraire. ] 1. Done as a sign or evidence of honor; as, honorary services. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Conferring honor, or intended merely to confer honor without emolument; as, an honorary degree. “Honorary arches.” Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Holding a title or place without rendering service or receiving reward; as, an honorary member of a society. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ L. honorarium (sc. donum), fr. honorarius. See Honorary, a. ] 1. A fee offered to professional men for their services; as, an honorarium of one thousand dollars. S. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) An honorary payment, usually in recognition of services for which it is not usual or not lawful to assign a fixed business price. Heumann. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of high repute; -- of people.
Syn. -- esteemed, prestigious, respected. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. greatly admired.
Syn. -- glorious, illustrious, magnificent. [ PJC ]

n. 1. a recipient of honors in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments. Correlative of honorer or conferrer. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who honors. [ 1913 Webster ]