Hunny
/ˈhʌn.i/noun
An informal or nonstandard spelling of “honey,” used as a term of endearment or to refer to the sweet substance made by bees.
Did you know?“Hunny” became especially famous through A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, whose childlike spelling helped turn the variant into a recognizable cultural form.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*k(e)ne-
“Yellow or golden in color; a proposed ancestral root connected with the honey word family.”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*hunagam
“Honey; the sweet substance produced by bees.”
Old English
Old English
hunig
“Honey, used as food and also in medicinal preparations.”
Middle English
Middle English
hony / honi
“Honey; the spelling developed through regular changes in pronunciation and written form.”
16th–17th Century
English
honey
“Honey, and figuratively a beloved or sweet person.”
20th Century
English
hunny
“A playful, childlike, or affectionate respelling of “honey,” popularized by Winnie-the-Pooh.”