HOMAGE

court, homage

(noun) respectful deference; “pay court to the emperor”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

homage (countable and uncountable, plural homages)

(countable, uncountable) A demonstration of respect, such as towards an individual after their retirement or death

(countable) An artistic work imitating another in a flattering style. Recently, the pronunciation /oʊˈmɒːʒ/ has been introduced from French for this usage; see hommage, which preserves the French spelling.

(historical) In feudalism, the formal oath of a vassal to honor his or her lord's rights.

Usage notes

• Often used in the construction pay homage to.

• Because of the different pronunciations, homage is sometimes preceded by the article a and sometimes by an.

Synonyms

• manred

Verb

homage (third-person singular simple present homages, present participle homaging, simple past and past participle homaged)

(transitive, obsolete) To pay reverence to by external action.

(transitive, obsolete) To cause to pay homage.

Anagrams

• ohmage

Source: Wiktionary


Hom"age, n. Etym: [OF.homage, homenage, F. hommage, LL. hominaticum, homenaticum, from L. homo a man, LL. also, a client, servant, vassal; akin to L. humus earth, Gr.groom in bridegroom. Cf. Bridegroom, Human.]

1. (Feud. Law)

Definition: A symbolical acknowledgment made by a feudal tenant to, and in the presence of, his lord, on receiving investiture of fee, or coming to it by succession, that he was his man, or vassal; profession of fealty to a sovereign.

2. Respect or reverential regard; deference; especially, respect paid by external action; obeisance. All things in heaven and earth do her [Law] homage. Hooker. I sought no homage from the race that write. Pope.

3. Reverence directed to the Supreme Being; reverential worship; devout affection. Chaucer.

Syn.

– Fealty; submission; reverence; honor; respect.

– Homage, Fealty. Homage was originally the act of a feudal tenant by which he declared himself, on his knees, to be the hommage or bondman of the lord; hence the term is used to denote reverential submission or respect. Fealty was originally the fidelity of such a tenant to his lord, and hence the term denotes a faithful and solemn adherence to the obligations we owe to superior power or authority. We pay our homage to men of preëminent usefulness and virtue, and profess our fealty to the principles by which they have been guided. Go, go with homage yon proud victors meet ! Go, lie like dogs beneath your masters' feet ! Dryden. Man, disobeying, Disloyal, breaks his fealty, and sins Against the high supremacy of heaven. Milton.

Hom"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Homaged; p. pr. & vb. n. Homaging.] Etym: [Cf. OF. hommager.]

1. To pay reverence to by external action. [R.]

2. To cause to pay homage. [Obs.] Cowley.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 January 2025

MEGALITH

(noun) memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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