favor
//ˈfeɪ.və//
Forms
- Plural
- favors
- present (v1)
- favor
- past (v2)
- favored
- past participle (v3)
- favored
- present participle
- favoring
- 3rd person singular
- favors
Definitions
1.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; benevolent regard.
- Samara: She confuses her victims, twists their feelings. They will do anything for her favor.
- She enjoyed the queen's favor.
3.Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
- I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.
4.A small gift; a party 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.
- The rain drove into the bride and bridegroom's faces as they passed to the chariot. The postilions' favours draggled on their dripping jackets.
1.To look upon fondly; to prefer.
- 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.
2.To use more often.
3.To encourage, conduce to
4.To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward.
- Would you favor us with a poetry reading?
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2633
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
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”).