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honesty

- 5 dictionary results

hon⋅es⋅ty

  [on-uh-stee]
Use honesty in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
2. truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
3. freedom from deceit or fraud.
4. Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.
5. Obsolete. chastity.
Origin:
1300–50; ME honeste < MF < L honestās. See honest, -ty 2

Synonyms:
1. integrity, probity, rectitude. See honor. 2. candor, veracity.

Antonyms:
1. dishonesty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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hon·es·ty   (ŏn'ĭ-stē)   
n.   pl. hon·es·ties
  1. The quality or condition of being honest; integrity.
  2. Truthfulness; sincerity: in all honesty.
  3. Archaic Chastity.
  4. Botany A European plant (Lunaria annua) cultivated for its fragrant purplish flowers and round, flat, papery, silver-white seedpods. Also called money plant, satin flower, silver dollar.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Honesty

Hon"es*ty\, n. [OE. honeste, oneste, honor, OF. honest['e], onest['e] (cf. F. honn[^e]tet['e]), L. honestas. See Honest, a.]

1. Honor; honorableness; dignity; propriety; suitableness; decency. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

She derives her honesty and achieves her goodness. --Shak.

2. The quality or state of being honest; probity; fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, speech, etc.; integrity; sincerity; truthfulness; freedom from fraud or guile.

That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. --1 Tim. ii. 2.

3. Chastity; modesty. --Chaucer.

To lay . . . siege to the honesty of this Ford's wife. --Shak.

4. (Bot.) Satin flower; the name of two cruciferous herbs having large flat pods, the round shining partitions of which are more beautiful than the blossom; -- called also lunary and moonwort. Lunaria biennis is common honesty; L. rediva is perennial honesty.

Syn: Integrity; probity; uprightness; trustiness; faithfulness; honor; justice; equity; fairness; candor; plain-dealing; veracity; sincerity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : honesty
Spanish: honestidad,
German: die Ehrlichkeit,
Japanese: 正直
More Translations »

honesty 
c.1330, from O.Fr. honesté, from L. honestatem (nom. honestas) "honor, honesty," from honestus (see honest). In Eng., the word originally had more to do with honor than honest.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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honesty

any of the three species of the genus Lunaria, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). They are European annuals or biennials that are widely grown for their disklike, papery, seedpod partitions, used in dried flower arrangements. The best-known species, also called moonflower, money plant, moonwort, or satinflower, as well as honesty (L. annua), has four-petalled, reddish purple or white flowers that are borne in summer. It has become naturalized in some wooded parts of eastern North America. Perennial honesty (L. rediviva) has pointed oval seedpod partitions and pale purple flowers

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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