Wiktionary

honey

See also: Honey

English Edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
 
A jar of honey, with a honey dipper and scones

Alternative forms Edit

Etymology Edit

From Middle English hony, honi, from Old English huniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hunag, from Proto-Germanic *hunagą (compare West Frisian hunich, German Honig), from earlier *hunangą (compare Swedish honung), from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂onk-o-s, from *kn̥h₂ónks.

Cognate with Middle Welsh canecon (“gold”), Latin canicae pl (“bran”), Tocharian B kronkśe (“bee”), Albanian qengjë (“beehive”), Ancient Greek κνῆκος (knêkos, “safflower”), Northern Kurdish şan (“beehive”), Northern Luri گونج‎ (gonj, “Bee”), Finnish hunaja.

Pronunciation Edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈhʌni/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌni
  • Hyphenation: hon‧ey

Noun Edit

honey (usually uncountable, plural honeys or (archaic) honies)

  1. (uncountable) A viscous, sweet fluid produced from plant nectar by bees. Often used to sweeten tea or to spread on baked goods.
    The honey in the pot should last for years.
  2. (countable) A variety of this substance.
    • 1908, United States. Bureau of Chemistry, Bulletin‎[1], numbers 110-114:
      The physical properties of the different honeys, color, granulation, aroma, flavor, etc., are indicated in the table only in a very general way.
    • 1949, Roy A. Grout, editor, The Hive and the Honey Bee‎[2]:
      If two of the California honeys, western hyssop and fleabane, having a positive polarization at 200 C. are disregarded, then the remaining...
    • 2011, Stephen Taylor, Advances in Food and Nutrition Research‎[3], volume 62:
      Eucalyptus honeys could be characterized based on seven volatile compounds, whereas lavender honeys had only five...
  3. (rare) Nectar.
  4. (figurative) Something sweet or desirable.
  5. A term of affection.
    Honey, would you take out the trash?
    Honey, I'm home.
    • 2013 July 30, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013:
      "So far, so good... are you doing okay?" "Flying... is awesome!" "Focus, honey."
  6. (countable, informal) A woman, especially an attractive one.
    Man, there are some fine honeys here tonight!
    • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World/Ballantine Books, page 130:
      College was wild. I was like a happy little white kid playing in a sandbox full of toys. Honeys, basketball, music, I indulged in all of that shit to the max. And oh yeah. I went to a couple of classes too. I wasn't totally ass-out stupid.
  7. A spectrum of pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like that of most types of (the sweet substance) honey.
    honey:  

Synonyms Edit

Hypernyms Edit

Hyponyms Edit

Hyponyms of honey (noun)

Derived terms Edit

Descendants Edit

  • → Japanese: ハニー (hanī)
  • →⇒ Jarai: ia hơni
  • → Marshallese: ōne
  • Sranan Tongo: oni
  • Tok Pisin: hani

Translations Edit

Adjective Edit

honey (not comparable)

  1. Involving or resembling honey.
  2. Of a pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like most types of honey.

Translations Edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb Edit

honey (third-person singular simple present honeys, present participle honeying, simple past and past participle honeyed)

  1. (transitive) To sweeten; to make agreeable.
  2. (transitive) To add honey to.
  3. (intransitive) To be gentle, agreeable, or coaxing; to talk fondly; to use endearments.
  4. (intransitive) To be or become obsequiously courteous or complimentary; to fawn.

Derived terms Edit

Related terms Edit

Related terms

See also Edit

other entries of interest
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=honey&oldid=76140468"