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favor

[fey-ver]

Origin

noun

something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.

friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.

the state of being approved or held in regard: to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.

excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.

a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love, etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.

EXPAND

a ribbon, badge, etc., worn in evidence of goodwill or loyalty, as by an adherent of a political party.

a small gift or decorative or festive item, as a noisemaker or paper hat, often distributed to guests at a party.

Usually, favors. sexual intimacy, especially as permitted by a woman.

Archaic. a letter, especially a commercial one.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

10.

to regard with favor: to favor an enterprise.

11.

to prefer; treat with partiality: The father favored his younger son.

12.

to show favor to; oblige: The king favored him with an audience.

13.

to be favorable to; facilitate: The wind favored their journey.

14.

to deal with, treat, or use gently: to favor a lame leg.

EXPAND

15.

to aid or support: He favored his party's cause with ample funds.

16.

to bear a physical resemblance to; resemble: to favor one's father's side of the family.

COLLAPSE

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Favor is one of our favorite verbs.

So is lollygag. Does it mean:

to run away hurriedly; flee.

to spend time idly; loaf.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Idioms

17.

find favor with, to gain the favor of; be liked by: The play found favor with the opening-night audience.

18.

in favor of,

on the side of; in support of: to be in favor of reduced taxation.

to the advantage of.

(of a check, draft, etc.) payable to: Make out your checks in favor of the corporation.

19.

in one's favor, to one's credit or advantage: All the comments were in your favor.

20.

out of favor, no longer liked or approved; no longer popular or fashionable: He's out of favor with the president and may soon be fired.

Also, especially British, favour.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English favo(u)r < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin favōr- (stem of favor) goodwill, equivalent to fav(ēre) to be favorably inclined + -ōr- -or¹

Related forms

fa·vor·er, noun

o·ver·fa·vor, verb (used with object)

pre·fa·vor, noun, verb (used with object)

un·fa·vor·ing, adjective

Synonyms
2. Favor, goodwill imply a kindly regard or friendly disposition shown by an individual or group. Favor may be merely an attitude of mind: to look with favor on a proposal. Goodwill is more active and leads often to outward manifestations of friendly approval: By frequent applause the audience showed its goodwill toward the speaker. 5. present. 10. approve, countenance, sanction. 12. encourage, patronize. 15. help, assist.

Antonyms
2. animosity, malice. 10. disapprove.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To favor

Collins

World English Dictionary

favour or favor (ˈfeɪvə)

—n
1.	an approving attitude; good will
2.	an act performed out of good will, generosity, or mercy
3.	prejudice and partiality; favouritism
4.	a condition of being regarded with approval or good will (esp in the phrases in favour, out of favour)
5.	archaic leave; permission
6.	a token of love, goodwill, etc
7.	a small gift or toy given to a guest at a party
8.	history a badge or ribbon worn or given to indicate loyalty, often bestowed on a knight by a lady
9.	obsolete chiefly (Brit) a communication, esp a business letter
10.	archaic appearance
11.	find favour with to be approved of by someone
12.	in favour of
	a. approving
	b. to the benefit of
	c. (of a cheque, etc) made out to
	d. in order to show preference for: I rejected him in favour of George

—vb
13.	to regard with especial kindness or approval
14.	to treat with partiality or favouritism
15.	to support; advocate
16.	to perform a favour for; oblige
17.	to help; facilitate
18.	informal to resemble: he favours his father
19.	to wear habitually: she favours red
20.	to treat gingerly or with tenderness; spare: a footballer favouring an injured leg

[C14: from Latin, from favēre to protect]

favor or favor

—n

—vb

[C14: from Latin, from favēre to protect]

'favourer or favor

—n

'favorer or favor

—n

'favouringly or favor

—*adv*

favoringly or favor

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

favor

c.1300, from O.Fr. favor, from L. favorem (nom. favor) "good will or support," coined by Cicero from stem of favere "to show kindness to," from PIE *dhegh-/*dhogh- "burn." Meaning "thing given as a mark of favor" is from 1580s. The verb meaning "to regard with favor" is from mid-14c. Related: Favored;

EXPAND

favoring.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

favor

see curry favor; in favor of; in favor with; in one's favor; out of favor; return the compliment (favor).