favour

English

Alternative forms

• (US) favor

Etymology

Anglo-Norman favour, mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfeɪvə(ɹ)/, SAMPA: /feIv@(r\)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪvə(r)
• Hyphenation: fa‧vour

Noun

favour (plural favours)

1. A piece of help, usually to be repaid

   I need a favour. Could you lend me £5 until tomorrow, please?

   Can you do me a favour and drop these letters in the post box?

Usage notes

• We usually use to do someone a favour.
• See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take for uses and meaning of favour collocated with these words.

Translations

a piece of help

Basque: mesede (eu), fabore (eu) Chinese: Mandarin: 恩惠 (cmn) (ēnhuì), 好意 (cmn) (hǎoyì), (see also) 幫忙 (cmn), 帮忙 (cmn) (bāngmáng) Dutch: gunst (nl) Esperanto: favoro (eo) Finnish: palvelus (fi) French: faveur (fr) f.

German: Gefallen (de) m. Greek: χάρη (el) f. Italian: favore (it) m. Japanese: 好意 (こうい) Korean: 도움,양보 (doum, yang-bo) Russian: услуга (ru) (uslúga) f., одолжение (ru) (odolžénije) n. Slovene: usluga (sl) f. Spanish: favor (es)

Verb

favour (third-person singular simple present favours, present participle favouring, simple past and past participle favoured)

1. To look upon fondly; to prefer.
   • "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." —Luke 1:28, King James version, 1611
2. To do a favour (noun sense 1) for; to show beneficence toward.
   • "Would you favour us with a poetry reading?"

Translations

favor — see favor

Derived terms

• favourable
• favoured
• favourite
• favouritism

---

Anglo-Norman

Noun

favour f. (oblique plural favours, nominative singular favour, nominative plural favours)

1. Late Anglo-Norman spelling of favor

   [V]ous leur veulliez faire favour[,] ease et desport sanz faire a eux ou soeffrer estre fait de nully male, moleste, injurie, damage indehucee, destourbance ne empeschement en aucune manere.

   You want to show them favor, ease and enjoyment without making them suffer or subjecting them to any evil, harm, injury, damage, disruption or obstacle of any kind.