favourite

English Online Dictionary. What means favourite‎? What does favourite mean?

English

Alternative forms

• favorite (US)

Etymology

Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb faveō (“I favour”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Doublet of favori.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

Adjective

favourite (comparative more favourite, superlative most favourite or favouritemost or (nonstandard) favouritest) (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. (superlative) Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)

   Antonyms: least favorite, unfavourite, unfavorite
2. (positive, high-register or archaic) Liked, cherished.

Usage notes

In mainstream current usage, favourite functions as a superlative adjective, even though it is not morphologically superlative—in so far as it lacks a corresponding positive form meaning 'liked' nor comparative form meaning 'more liked'. This is reflected in the direct antonym being least favourite (which is transparently superlative), as well as in the fact that the phrase "more favourite" is rare outside second-language or high-register usage, and would indeed sound stilted to some native speakers.

Translations

Noun

favourite (plural favourites) (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. A person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.

   Antonyms: unfavourite, unfavorite

2. A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.

   Synonym: top dog (most preferred)

   Synonym: darling (most loved)

3. A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.
4. (Internet) A bookmark in a web browser.
5. (in the plural) A short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of Charles II.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

favourite (third-person singular simple present favourites, present participle favouriting, simple past and past participle favourited) (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. To favour.
2. (Internet) To bookmark.
3. (Internet) To add to one's list of favourite items on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

   Antonyms: unfavourite, unfavorite

Derived terms

• fave

Descendants

• → Japanese: ふぁぼ

Translations

References