favor

== English == === Alternative forms === favour (Commonwealth, Ireland) === 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”). Respelled in American English to more closely match its Latin etymon. Compare also Danish favør (“favor”), Irish fabhar (“favor”), from the same Romance source. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfeɪ.və/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈfeɪ.vɚ/ Rhymes: -eɪvə(ɹ) Hyphenation: fa‧vor === Noun === favor (countable and uncountable, plural favors) (American spelling, alternative in Canada, historically in Lancashire) A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone). Synonym: service Goodwill; benevolent regard. A small gift; a party favor. wedding favor Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity. The object of regard; person or thing favoured. (obsolete) Appearance; look; countenance; face. (law) Partiality; bias (archaic) A letter, a written communication. (archaic, chiefly Northern England) A resemblance, likeness. (obsolete) Anything worn publicly as a pledge of a woman's favor. (historical) A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of an event. ==== Usage notes ==== Favor is the standard US spelling, and an alternative in Canada. Favour is the standard spelling in Canada and outside North America. English speakers usually "do someone a favor" (rather than *"make them a favor", which would be sense 3 only). See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take for uses and meaning of favor collocated with these words. ==== Synonyms ==== ==== Antonyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === favor (third-person singular simple present favors, present participle favoring, simple past and past participle favored) (US, alternative in Canada, transitive) To look upon fondly; to prefer. To use more often. To encourage, conduce to To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward. (in dialects, including Southern US and Cajun) To resemble; especially, to look like (another person). To treat or use (something) gently ==== Synonyms ==== ==== Antonyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “favor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. == Catalan == === Etymology === From Latin favōrem. First attested in the 14th century. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central) [fəˈβor] IPA(key): (Balearic) [fəˈvo] IPA(key): (Valencia) [faˈvoɾ] === Noun === favor m or (archaic, regional or poetic) f (plural favors) favour ==== Derived terms ==== a favor de afavorir en favor de per favor === References === === Further reading === “favor”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “favor” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. “favor” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962. == Kabuverdianu == === Etymology === From Portuguese favor. === Noun === favor favour pleasure == Latin == === Etymology === From faveō (“to be well disposed or inclined toward, favor, countenance, befriend”) +‎ -or. === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈfa.wɔr] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈfaː.vor] === Noun === favor m (genitive favōris); third declension good will, inclination, partiality, favor Synonym: beneficium Antonyms: maleficium, iniūria, dētrīmentum, noxa, calamitās support ==== Declension ==== Third-declension noun. ==== Derived terms ==== favōrābilis ==== Descendants ==== === References === “favor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “favor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers "favor", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887) “favor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “favor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. == Middle English == === Noun === favor alternative form of favour == Norn == === Alternative forms === fa vor (rare) === Etymology === From Old Norse faðir (“father”) + vár (“our”), from Proto-Germanic *fadēr + *unseraz, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr. Compare Shetlandic fy vor. === Noun === favor (Orkney) our father == Occitan == === Etymology === From Latin favor. === Pronunciation === === Noun === favor f (plural favors) favor ==== Antonyms ==== desfavor ==== Derived terms ==== == Portuguese == === Etymology === From Latin favor (“favour; good will”), from faveō (“to favour”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰoweh₁ (“to notice”). === Pronunciation === Rhymes: (Portugal, São Paulo) -oɾ, (Brazil) -oʁ Hyphenation: fa‧vor === Noun === favor m (plural favores) favor (instance of voluntarily assisting someone) favor; goodwill (benevolent regard) Synonyms: (obsolete) favorança, graça, mercê ==== Derived terms ==== a favor de em favor de fazer o favor de por favor ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Macanese: favôr === Adverb === favor (not comparable) (before a verb in the infinitive) please (seen on warnings and the like) === Further reading === “favor”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “favor”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Noun === favor n (plural favoruri) alternative form of favoare ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin favōrem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /faˈboɾ/ [faˈβ̞oɾ] Rhymes: -oɾ Syllabification: fa‧vor === Noun === favor m (plural favores) favor/favour [3] ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “favor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Venetan == === Etymology === Compare Italian favore === Noun === favor m (plural favuri) favour