Honoured

How to spell honoured

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce honoured

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does honoured mean?

1. verbRegarded with great respect, or fulfilled an obligation, promise, or commitment.
2. adjectiveFeeling privileged or deeply respected because of recognition received.

Honoured in a sentence

• verb

  The bank honoured the cheque without any delay.

• adjective

  He felt deeply honoured to be chosen as the keynote speaker.

• verb

  The town honoured its veterans with a quiet ceremony each spring.

• adjective

  The retiring nurse was an honoured guest at the hospital dinner.

Where does honoured come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin noun honor (also spelled honos), which meant esteem, dignity, or the public regard given to a worthy person. From honor Latin formed the verb honorare, meaning to show respect to or to confer distinction upon. The word travelled into English through Old French, where it appeared as onor or honor, and by the early 1200s English writers were using it both as a noun and as a verb. The silent, unstressed 'ou' spelling that trips British and Canadian writers comes directly from that Old French form, which is why the older 'honour' kept its 'u' while American English later trimmed it to 'honor'. The same Latin root still lives openly in relatives such as 'honest', 'honorary', and 'honorific', all of which circle the idea of being held in good public regard.

How the word is built

• honour (from Latin honor: esteem, public regard)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)

British and American spelling

Honoured is the British spelling. American English spells it honored.