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hon·ey (hŭnē)
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n. pl. hon·eys
1.
a. A sweet yellowish or brownish viscid fluid produced by various bees from the nectar of flowers and used as food.
b. A similar substance made by certain other insects.
2. A sweet substance, such as nectar or syrup.
3. Sweetness; pleasantness: "The first few years could not have been all honey" (Nadine Gordimer).
4. Informal Sweetheart; dear. Used as a term of endearment.
5. Informal Something remarkably fine: a honey of a car.
tr.v. hon·eyed or hon·ied (hŭnēd), hon·ey·ing, hon·eys
1. To sweeten with honey; add honey to.
2. To make pleasant or appealing: His words were honeyed as he spoke.
3. To give a yellow or golden color to.
[Middle English honi, from Old English hunig.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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