Log in or Sign up
favorite love

favorite

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that enjoys special favor or regard.
  • noun One that is trusted, indulged, or preferred above all others, especially by a superior.
  • noun A contestant or competitor regarded as most likely to win.
  • adjective Liked or preferred above all others; regarded with special favor.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A person or thing regarded with peculiar favor, liking, or preference; one who or that which is especially liked or favored.
  • noun A person who has gained the special favor of or a dominant influence over a superior by unworthymeans or for selfish purposes.
  • noun A small curl hanging loose upon the temple: a frequent feature of a woman's head-dress in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
  • Regarded with particular liking, favor, esteem, or preference: as, a favorite walk; a favorite author; a favorite child.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A person or thing regarded with peculiar favor; one treated with partiality; one preferred above others; especially, one unduly loved, trusted, and enriched with favors by a person of high rank or authority.
  • noun obsolete Short curls dangling over the temples; -- fashionable in the reign of Charles II.
  • noun (Sporting) The competitor (as a horse in a race) that is judged most likely to win; the competitor standing highest in the betting.
  • adjective Regarded with particular affection, esteem, or preference

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Preferred.
  • noun Preferred one, one with special favor
  • noun Expected or most probable to win.
  • verb Alternative form of favor.
  • verb Internet To bookmark.
  • verb Internet To add to one's list of favorites on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective preferred above all others and treated with partiality
  • noun a special loved one
  • noun something regarded with special favor or liking
  • adjective appealing to the general public
  • noun a competitor thought likely to win

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Obsolete French favorit, from Old Italian favorito, past participle of favorire, to favor, from favore, favor, from Latin favor; see favor.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French favorit or favori past participle of favorir ("to favor").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word favorite.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    I am relieved to see this is not a verb--yet.

    June 30, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    Oh, I'm afraid it is, slumry, at least on Wordie. We've been "favoriting" other Wordies' lists for quite a while now. :-)

    July 2, 2007

  • uselessness commented on the word favorite

    See also favorited.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Yes, I noticed that after I made the note!

    I have, of course, heard it in other contexts, meaning the same thing. That is what prompted the comment.

    My tongue-in-cheek expression of "relief" referred to the fact that as far as I know, it is not yet in standard dictionaries. It would not surprise me if it is soon. Part of the fun here is watching how language evolves and seeing what endures and what does not.

    Our tastes in language are idiosyncratic, aren't they? What pleases one person is jarring to another. This just happens to be one that gets my goat. For now, I will just continue to add words to my lists of favorite words. ;-)

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    Ah, I see. Generally, I don't like "verbing" either. Have you checked out the list of words newly added to the OED? The times, they are a-changin'.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Thanks for the link.

    My guess about "verbing" is that we don't like it when it is new and unfamiliar--especially if we think there is a perfectly suitable alternative. Apparently the process is as old as the language, and I would guess that most *verbifications* (ew, ick, hold nose--not a noun from a verbed noun) fell into disuse. We recognize many as standard English, unaware of their "shady" past.

    July 2, 2007

  • uselessness commented on the word favorite

    I agree that verbing is a little unusual, and I share the common resistance to change. But, I don't know, it might not be all bad. The nice thing about a verbed noun is that it's fully obvious what it means. The English language is a beast, but this particular practice is intuitive enough that it might actually be an improvement... as long as the "traditional" verbs don't go away when replaced by the new ones.

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    I'm pretty much with you, uselessness. Unless you're talking about "parenting," "partying," or "dialoguing." Then I'll have to plug my ears and close my eyes. Eew.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    It seems that verbing is quite usual. People do it all the time, and have done it in the past.

    A couple of questions are whether a particular verbification (ouch, I wish I would quit saying that) is useful, and when it is appropriate. Certainly we all have separate lexicons for informal and formal use.

    I am also interested to observe what endures in a time when words are seemingly added to the language at an accellerated rate.

    I agree with both of you that verbing is useful. Again, a lot of it is idiosyncratic. Each of us has our own preferences among verbed nouns. For instance, I can party, but I would much prefer to talk than to dialogue.

    July 2, 2007

  • uselessness commented on the word favorite

    For what it's worth, a lot of things are happening at an accelerated rate. It's freaky. Have you seen the global population chart that shows an exponential curve approaching nearly vertical in just the past century? I don't know what to think when I see that. Then there are concerns about the technological singularity, which is pretty staggering itself. Heck, I've heard astronomers say that the universe's expansion is speeding up too. At any rate, I've come to expect everything to happen fast these days, as just par for the course.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    I agree, it is freaky in some ways. I know that there is a lot that each of us could say about this! :-) And maybe we will, over time.

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    ...which ties in with my theory on why there are so many more bad/negligent/ornery drivers than ever, u. Everything *else* is speeding up, but you can only go so fast when you're driving. Unless, of course, you're on a speedway.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Simultaneously speeding up and multitasking--whew. How much can we expect of one person, and is it always worth it?

    July 2, 2007

  • uselessness commented on the word favorite

    In light of all this acceleration and multitasking, here are seven possible scenarios for the next decade:

         1. Humans seek respite by transferring their responsibilities to The Machines, which subsequently revolt.

         2. Civilization collapses and we get to experience Dark Ages II: The Sequel.

         3. People start to evolve, and with the help of medicine and technology, become transhuman cyborgs and conquer the galaxy.

         4. Global warming gets serious and distracts us from our petty little concerns. Those of us that survived the melting ice caps, that is.

         5. Jesus comes back in the nick of time and we all get to eat ICE CREAM with NO CONSEQUENCES.

         6. The terrorists win.

         7. The Matrix goes BSOD and then we're really in trouble.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Pick your poison.

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    I vote #5. Who can argue with ice cream? ;-)

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    True. . .and no consequences!

    Now that is crisp. (if a joke fails, make it again until it is funny. . .) :-)

    And I did not mean fried to a crisp.

    Them emoticons is messin' with my parens, and I don't like it.

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    Although fried ice cream *is* mighty tasty.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    You know, I have never tried it. Must put it on my to-do list. I love ice cream so much, I have never been tempted to stray from the basic product.

    July 2, 2007

  • jennarenn commented on the word favorite

    u, the ice cream's supposed to be a surprise!!!

    slumry, you should try a grills-with. It's two scoops of ice cream on top of two grilled doughnuts. A nice transition. I'm also a fan of a baked Alaska.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    "Grills-with." Perhaps it has not yet arrived on the west coast of the U.S yet. At any rate, I have never encountered it. I am not sure if I should look forward to its arrival or not. :) Baked Alaska always sounds good, and I think I actually tried it once.

    July 2, 2007

  • jennarenn commented on the word favorite

    As far as I know, the grills-with is a local specialty in Charlottesville, VA.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    I recently was in Tennessee for the first time, and learned about meat and three. I wonder how widespread that is.

    One would not want to follow a meat and three with a grills-with. I probably would be fatal. :)

    July 2, 2007

  • jennarenn commented on the word favorite

    I love those sketchy little restaurants with good food and no atmosphere.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    And those restaurants are fun to discover, too.

    July 2, 2007

  • jennarenn commented on the word favorite

    One of my favorite guide books is called Quests for the Holy Grill: 50 Crummy but Good Restaurants Within Rambling Range of Washington D.C.

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Hooray for Jennarenn! The favorite circle is closed, with a verb on one end and an adjective on the other. (Uh, slumry, circles don't have ends.)

    I will look for the book when I visit that area.

    July 2, 2007

  • arby commented on the word favorite

    So slumry, what is a meat and three? Do tell!

    July 2, 2007

  • slumry commented on the word favorite

    Meat and three is a meal with meat and three side dishes (often including fried okra.) Restaraunts that serve such meals are also called meat and threes.

    July 2, 2007

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    Boy, I'm sure missing a lot of good local cholesterol! Never heard of a grills-with *or* a meat and three. However, I do live very close to the Land of the Cheesesteak, so I suppose I'm okay, lipid-wise.

    July 3, 2007

  • frindley commented on the word favorite

    Why does partying bother you reesetee? Yes, it's an example of making a verb from a noun, but it's as old as the hills (well, late 16th century in the sense of taking the part of or siding with, but at least early 20th century in the sense of giving/attending parties).

    March 16, 2008

  • chained_bear commented on the word favorite

    *confused*... I don't see a comment to that effect on this page, frindley. Were you perhaps responding to something reesetee said on another page or list? You might consider putting the comment on that one instead. :)

    March 16, 2008

  • reesetee commented on the word favorite

    I think frindley is responding to a comment I made about 8 months ago, c_b (eighth from the bottom on this page).

    And frindley, to answer your question: I just don't like it. It has nothing to do with age; it has to do with sheer annoyance. Chalk it up to personal preference. :-)

    March 17, 2008

  • aus1750 commented on the word favorite

    favorited favorite

    May 21, 2024