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Webster 1913 Edition

Honey

Hon′ey

(hŭn′y̆)
,
Noun.
[OE.
honi
,
huni
, AS.
hunig
; akin to OS.
honeg
, D. & G.
honig
, OHG.
honag
,
honang
, Icel.
hunang
, Sw.
håning
, Dan.
honning
, cf. Gr.
κόνισ
dust, Skr.
kaṇa
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.
Shakespeare
3.
Sweet one; – a term of endearment.
Chaucer.
Honey
, you shall be well desired in Cyprus.
Shakespeare
☞ 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
(Zool.)
,
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
(Zool.)
,
the ratel.
–
Honey bear
.
(Zool.)
See
Kinkajou
.
–
Honey buzzard
(Zool.)
,
a bird related to the kites, of the genus
Pernis
. The European species is
Pernis apivorus
; the Indian or crested honey buzzard is
Pernis ptilorhyncha
. They feed upon honey and the larvæ of bees. Called also
bee hawk
,
bee kite
.
–
Honey guide
(Zool.)
,
one of several species of small birds of the family
Indicatoridæ
, 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
.
(Zool.)
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
(Zool.)
,
the ratel.

Hon′ey

,
Verb.
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.

Hon′ey

,
Verb.
T.
To make agreeable; to cover or sweeten with, or as with, honey.
Canst thou not
honey
me with fluent speech?
Marston.

Webster 1828 Edition

Honey

HON'EY

,
Noun.
hun'y.
1.
A sweet vegetable juice, collected by bees from the flowers of plants, and deposited in cells of the comb in hives. Honey, when pure, is of a moderate consistence, of a whitish color,tinged with yellow,sweet to the taste, of an agreeable smell, soluble in water, and becoming vinous by fermentation. In medicine, it is useful as a detergent and aperient. It is supposed to consist of sugar, mucilage, and an acid.
2.
Sweetness; lusciousness.
The king hath found
Matter against him, that forever mars
The honey of his language.
3.
A word of tenderness; sweetness; sweet one.

HON'EY

,
Verb.
T.
To talk fondly. [Little used.]
1.
To sweeten.

Definition 2024

honey

honey

English

A jar of honey, with a honey dipper and scones

Adjective

honey ‎(comparative more honey, superlative most honey)

  1. Describing a thing involving or resembling honey.
    • 1599 William Shakespeare, Henry V, act 1, scene 2:
      So work the honey-bees, / Creatures that by a rule in nature teach / The act of order to a peopled kingdom.
  2. A spectrum of pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like that of most types of honey.

Translations

Noun

honey ‎(usually uncountable, plural honeys)

  1. (uncountable) A viscous, sweet fluid produced from plant nectar by bees. Often used to sweeten tea or to spread on baked goods.
  2. (countable) A variety of this substance.
    • 1908, United States. Bureau of Chemistry, Bulletin, number 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:
      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, volume 62:
      Eucalyptus honeys could be characterized based on seven volatile compounds, whereas lavender honeys had only five...
  3. (figuratively) Something sweet or desirable.
    • 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3, lines 91–93:
      O my love, my wife! / Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath / Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      the honey of his language
  4. A term of affection.
    Honey, would you take out the trash?
    Honey, I'm home.
  5. (countable, informal) A woman, especially an attractive one.
    Man, there are some fine honeys here tonight!
  6. A spectrum of pale yellow to brownish-yellow colour, like that of most types of (the sweet substance) honey.
    honey colour:    

Synonyms

  • (sweet fluid from bees): mel
  • (term of affection): sweetie

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Translations

Verb

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

  1. To be gentle, agreeable, or coaxing; to talk fondly; to use endearments.
    • Shakespeare
      Honeying and making love.
  2. To be or become obsequiously courteous or complimentary; to fawn.
    • Tennyson
      Rough to common men, / But honey at the whisper of a lord.

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

  • Appendix:Colors

Etymology

From Middle English hony, honi, from Old English huniġ, from Proto-Germanic *hunagą (compare West Frisian hunich, German Honig), from earlier *hunangą (compare Swedish honung), from pre-Germanic *kn̥h₂onkós, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂ónks (gen. *kn̥h₂kós) (compare Middle Welsh canecon ‎(“gold”), Latin (pl.) canicae ‎(“bran”), Tocharian B kronkśe ‎(“bee”), Albanian qengjë ‎(“beehive”), Ancient Greek κνηκός ‎(knēkós, “pale yellow”)), Kurdish şan ‎(“beehive”).

Pronunciation

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

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