homage

Definition

A demonstration of respect, as towards a person after his or her retirement or death.

Etymology

From Middle English homage, from Old French homage, hommage, from Medieval Latin homināticum (“homage, the service of a vassal or 'man'”), from Latin homō (“a man, in Medieval Latin a vassal”) + -āticum (noun-forming suffix). The American pronunciations in /-ɑːʒ/ and with silent h are due to confusion with the nearly synonymous doublet hommage, which is indeed pronounced /oʊˈmɑːʒ/.

Example Sentences

• "I ſought no homage from the Race that vvrite; / I kept, like Aſian Monarchs, from their ſight: […]"
• "When a man squeezes the hand of a pretty woman, […] she will consider such an impertinent freedom in the light of an insult, if she have any true delicacy, instead of being flattered by this unmeaning homage to beauty."
• "It’s appropriate that we pay homage to them and the sacrifices they made."