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honey

- 8 dictionary results

hon⋅ey

[huhn-ee] noun, plural hon⋅eys, adjective, verb, hon⋅eyed or hon⋅ied, hon⋅ey⋅ing.
–noun
1. a sweet, viscid fluid produced by bees from the nectar collected from flowers, and stored in nests or hives as food.
2. this substance as used in cooking or as a spread or sweetener.
3. the nectar of flowers.
4. any of various similarly sweet, viscid products produced by insects or in other ways.
5. something sweet, delicious, or delightful: the honey of flattery.
6. Informal. a person for whom one feels love or deep affection; sweetheart; darling.
7. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., esp. by a male to a female).
8. Informal. something of esp. high quality, degree of excellence, etc.: That's a honey of a computer.
–adjective
9. of, like, or pertaining to honey; sweet.
10. containing honey or flavored or sweetened with honey.
–verb (used with object)
11. Informal. to talk flatteringly or endearingly to (often fol. by up).
12. to sweeten or flavor with or as if with honey.
–verb (used without object)
13. Informal. to use flattery, endearing terms, etc., in an effort to obtain something (often fol. by up): They always got what they wanted by honeying up to their grandfather.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME hony, OE hunig; c. D, G honig, ON hunang; akin to Gk knēkós pale yellow, tawny


hon⋅ey⋅ful, adjective
hon⋅ey⋅less, adjective
hon⋅ey⋅like, adjective
hon·ey   (hŭn'ē)   
n.   pl. hon·eys
    1. A sweet yellowish or brownish viscid fluid produced by various bees from the nectar of flowers and used as food.
    2. A similar substance made by certain other insects.
  1. A sweet substance, such as nectar.
  2. Sweetness; pleasantness.
  3. Sugary or ingratiating words; flattery.
  4. Informal Sweetheart; dear. Used as a term of endearment.
  5. Informal Something remarkably fine: a honey of a car.
tr.v.   hon·eyed or hon·ied (hŭn'ēd), hon·ey·ing, hon·eys
  1. To sweeten with or as if with honey.
  2. To cajole with sweet talk.

[Middle English honi, from Old English hunig.]

Honey

Hon"ey\, n. [OE. honi, huni, AS. hunig; akin to OS. honeg, D. & G. honig, OHG. honag, honang, Icel. hunang, Sw. h[*a]ning, Dan. honning, cf. Gr. ? dust, Skr. kaa grain.]

1. A sweet viscid fluid, esp. that collected by bees from flowers of plants, and deposited in the cells of the honeycomb.

2. That which is sweet or pleasant, like honey.

The honey of his language. --Shak.

3. Sweet one; -- a term of endearment. --Chaucer.

Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus. --Shak.

Note: Honey is often used adjectively or as the first part of compound; as, honeydew or honey dew; honey guide or honeyguide; honey locust or honey-locust.

Honey ant (Zo["o]l.), a small ant (Myrmecocystus melliger), found in the Southwestern United States, and in Mexico, living in subterranean formicares. There are larger and smaller ordinary workers, and others, which serve as receptacles or cells for the storage of honey, their abdomens becoming distended to the size of a currant. These, in times of scarcity, regurgitate the honey and feed the rest.

Honey badger (Zo["o]l.), the ratel.

Honey bear. (Zo["o]l.) See Kinkajou.

Honey buzzard (Zo["o]l.), a bird related to the kites, of the genus Pernis. The European species is P. apivorus; the Indian or crested honey buzzard is P. ptilorhyncha. They feed upon honey and the larv[ae] of bees. Called also bee hawk, bee kite.

Honey creeper (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of small, bright, colored, passerine birds of the family C[oe]rebid[ae], abundant in Central and South America.

Honey easter (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of small passerine birds of the family Meliphagid[ae], abundant in Australia and Oceania; -- called also honeysucker.

Honey flower (Bot.), an evergreen shrub of the genus Melianthus, a native of the Cape of Good Hope. The flowers yield much honey.

Honey guide (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of small birds of the family Indicatorid[ae], inhabiting Africa and the East Indies. They have the habit of leading persons to the nests to wild bees. Called also honeybird, and indicator.

Honey harvest, the gathering of honey from hives, or the honey which is gathered. --Dryden.

Honey kite. (Zo["o]l.) See Honey buzzard (above).

Honey locust (Bot.), a North American tree (Gleditschia triacanthos), armed with thorns, and having long pods with a sweet pulp between the seeds.

Honey month. Same as Honeymoon.

Honey weasel (Zo["o]l.), the ratel.

Honey

Hon"ey\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Honeyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Honeying.] To be gentle, agreeable, or coaxing; to talk fondly; to use endearments; also, to be or become obsequiously courteous or complimentary; to fawn. "Honeying and making love." --Shak.

Rough to common men, But honey at the whisper of a lord. --Tennyson.

Honey

Hon"ey\, v. t. To make agreeable; to cover or sweeten with, or as with, honey.

Canst thou not honey me with fluent speech? --Marston.
Language Translation for : honey
Spanish: miel,
German: der Honig,
Japanese: 蜂みつ

honey 
O.E. hunig, from W.Gmc. *khunaga- (cf. O.N. hunang, Swed. honung, Ger. Honig "honey"); perhaps cognate with Skt. kancanum, Welsh canecon "gold." The more common IE word is represented by Goth. miliþ (from PIE *melith "honey"). A term of endearment from at least 1350. Honeycomb is O.E. hunigcamb (see comb). Honey-bee is from c.1566.

Main Entry: hon·ey
Pronunciation: 'h&n-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural honeys
1 : a sweet viscid materialelaborated out of the nectar of flowers in the honey sac of various bees
2 : any of various preparations consisting of simple mixtures of medicaments with honey —honey adjective

Honey

(1.) Heb. ya'ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25, 27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods. (2.) Nopheth, honey that drops (Ps. 19:10; Prov. 5:3; Cant. 4:11). (3.) Debash denotes bee-honey (Judg. 14:8); but also frequently a vegetable honey distilled from trees (Gen. 43:11; Ezek. 27:17). In these passages it may probably mean "dibs," or syrup of grapes, i.e., the juice of ripe grapes boiled down to one-third of its bulk. (4.) Tsuph, the cells of the honey-comb full of honey (Prov. 16:24; Ps. 19:10). (5.) "Wild honey" (Matt. 3:4) may have been the vegetable honey distilled from trees, but rather was honey stored by bees in rocks or in trees (Deut. 32:13; Ps. 81:16; 1 Sam. 14:25-29). Canaan was a "land flowing with milk and honey" (Ex. 3:8). Milk and honey were among the chief dainties in the earlier ages, as they are now among the Bedawin; and butter and honey are also mentioned among articles of food (Isa. 7:15). The ancients used honey instead of sugar (Ps. 119:103; Prov. 24:13); but when taken in great quantities it caused nausea, a fact referred to in Prov. 25:16, 17 to inculcate moderation in pleasures. Honey and milk also are put for sweet discourse (Cant. 4:11).

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