Honorific
/ˌɑːnəˈrɪfɪk/noun
Conveying or conferring honor or respect, especially as a title or form of address.
Did you know?Honorific comes from Latin honorificus, built from honor plus facere (“to make”), so an honorific is, at root, something that *makes honor happen*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰenh₁-
“to give birth, produce, generate”
Latin
Latin
honor
“honor, esteem, public office”
Latin
Latin
honorificus
“conducive to honor; conferring honor”
Middle English
English
honorific
“tending to confer honor or respect”
Modern English
English
honorific
“a title, form, or expression showing respect”
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