Etymologically
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honoro

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 18:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [hɔˈnoː.roː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [oˈnɔː.ro][1]

Forms

honōrō (present infinitive honōrāre, perfect active honōrāvī, supine honōrātum); first conjugation[1] A deponent honōror is also found.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from honōs (later ⟨honor⟩) “honour” with the verb suffix -ō.[2][1][4] De Vaan finds no further etymology for ⟨honōs⟩.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of honouring someone.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to confer honour on, show respect to, as in Cicero's honouring a death with public mourning, and in Suetonius to honour someone with an office.[2][7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to honour, respect, adorn.[8] It survives in Italian onorare and Spanish honrar, and through Old French honorer it is the source of the English verb honor.[1]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[2][6]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of honouring with office.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To honour, show respect to.[2]
  2. To honour with an office.[2]
  3. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To adorn.[8]

Word family

  • exhonōrō
  • inhonōrō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson