favorite English · revision 3173

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1583|origins=la favor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|favorit]] (now favori, favorite),^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) perhaps via [[it|favorito]],^(Etymonline) the past participle of [[m|it|favorire|t=to favor]],^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) from favore “favor”, from [[la|favor|t=inclination, partiality, support]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) Merriam-Webster derives the word directly from the Italian.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A person or thing regarded with particular favor and preferred above others: 1583,^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) or the 1580s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 1590s a ''favorite'' was especially one who stood unduly high in the favor of a prince or other superior and gained influence over him.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) In the 17th and 18th centuries the word also named a curl of hair hanging loose on the temple, a common feature of women's headdress.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) In racing, the competitor most likely to win is from 1813.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The adjective, “regarded with particular liking”, is by 1711,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) although Johnson still listed such uses under the noun.^(OED 1989) ''Favorite son'', a man popular and boasted of in his native area, is by 1788, and in the United States especially a politician who is the choice of his own state.^(Etymonline) Latin had fautor for a person who promotes another's interests, whence Middle English fautour “supporter” from the mid-14th century, but that word has died out.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1583 – a person or thing preferred above others.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1590s – a favorite of a prince.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1690 – a curl of hair on the temple.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1711 – adjective, regarded with particular liking.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1788 – ''favorite son''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1813 – the competitor most likely to win.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person or thing liked or [[prefer|alt=preferred]] above all others.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A person specially trusted and given favors by someone of high rank, such as a [[monarch]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A [[competitor]] judged most likely to win.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # ''(computing)'' A saved link to a website; a [[bookmark]].^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Liked or preferred above all others.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[favoritism]]

+ * [[nonfavorite]]

+ * [[unfavorite]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[favor]]

+ * [[favorable]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Favourite'' is the British spelling.^(SOED 2002)^(NODE 1998) Merriam-Webster records a dialect pronunciation ending in -ite, rhyming with “bite”.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}