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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

fa·vor       (fā'vər)  Pronunciation Key  n.   A gracious, friendly, or obliging act that is freely granted: do someone a favor. Friendly or favorable regard; approval or support: won the favor of the monarch; looked with favor on the plan. A state of being held in such regard: a style currently in favor. A privilege or concession. favors Sexual privileges, especially as granted by a woman. Something given as a token of love, affection, or remembrance. A small decorative gift given to each guest at a party. Aspect or appearance. Countenance; face. Unfair partiality; favoritism. A privilege or concession. favors Sexual privileges, especially as granted by a woman. Something given as a token of love, affection, or remembrance. A small decorative gift given to each guest at a party. Aspect or appearance. Countenance; face. Something given as a token of love, affection, or remembrance. A small decorative gift given to each guest at a party. Aspect or appearance. Countenance; face. Advantage; benefit: sailed under favor of cloudless skies. Behalf; interest: an error in our favor. Obsolete A communication, especially a letter. Archaic Aspect or appearance. Countenance; face. Obsolete A facial feature. v.   fa·vored, fa·vor·ing, fa·vors v.   tr. To perform a kindness or service for; oblige. See Synonyms at oblige. To treat or regard with friendship, approval, or support. To be partial to; indulge a liking for: favors bright colors. To be or tend to be in support of. To make easier or more possible; facilitate: Darkness favored their escape. To treat with care; be gentle with: favored my wounded leg. Chiefly Southern U.S. To resemble in appearance: She favors her father. v.   intr. Chiefly Southern U.S. To resemble another in appearance: She and her father favor. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, from favēre, to be favorable.] fa'vor·er n., fa'vor·ing·ly adv. When a Southerner favors a relative, he or she is not giving that person special privileges; rather, the Southerner looks like that relative. Favor can be either transitive—She favors her father—or intransitive with a compound subject: She and her father favor. This sense of favor goes back to early modern English: "This young lord Chamont/Favors my mother" (Ben Jonson). The verb derives from the noun favor, which was used from the 15th to the 19th century to mean "appearance, aspect; the countenance, face": "What makes thy favor like the bloodless head/Fall'n on the block?" (Tennyson). This sense of the noun is now archaic, but the verb thrives in the English of the Southern United States.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
favor  (n.)

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

favor
noun
1.	an act of gracious kindness
2.	an advantage to the benefit of someone or something; "the outcome was in his favor"
3.	an inclination to approve; "that style is in favor this season"
4.	a feeling of favorable regard
5.	souvenir consisting of a small gift given to a guest at a party [syn: party favor]
verb
1.	promote over another; "he favors his second daughter" [syn: prefer]
2.	consider as the favorite; "The local team was favored"
3.	treat gently or carefully
4.	bestow a privilege upon [syn: privilege]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

favor

Chal"lenge\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Challenged; p. pr. & vb. n. Challenging.] [OE. chalengen to accuse, claim, OF. chalengier, chalongier, to claim, accuse, dispute, fr. L. calumniar to attack with false accusations. See Challenge, n., and cf. Calumniate.]

1. To call to a contest of any kind; to call to answer; to defy.

I challenge any man to make any pretense to power by right of fatherhood. --Locke.

2. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by personal combat.

By this I challenge him to single fight. --Shak.

3. To claim as due; to demand as a right.

Challenge better terms. --Addison.

4. To censure; to blame. [Obs.]

He complained of the emperors . . . and challenged them for that he had no greater revenues . . . from them. --Holland.

5. (Mil.) To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged us, with "Who comes there?"

6. To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the accuracy of a statement or of a quotation.

7. (Law) To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or member of a court.

8. To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the ground that the person in not qualified as a voter. [U. S.]

To challenge to the array, favor, polls. See under Challenge, n.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Favor

Cur"ry\ (k?r"r?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curried (-r?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Currying.] [OE. curraien, curreien, OF. cunreer, correier, to prepare, arrange, furnish, curry (a horse), F. corroyer to curry (leather) (cf. OF. conrei, conroi, order, arrangement, LL. conredium); cor- (L. com-) + roi, rei, arrangement, order; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. ready. See Ready, Greith, and cf. Corody, Array.]

1. To dress or prepare for use by a process of scraping, cleansing, beating, smoothing, and coloring; -- said of leather.

2. To dress the hair or coat of (a horse, ox, or the like) with a currycomb and brush; to comb, as a horse, in order to make clean.

Your short horse is soon curried. --Beau. & FL.

3. To beat or bruise; to drub; -- said of persons.

I have seen him curry a fellow's carcass handsomely. --Beau. & FL.

To curry favor, to seek to gain favor by flattery or attentions. See Favor, n.