From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor, from faveō ("to be kind to"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-, from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-.

• (America) IPA: /ˈfeɪvɚ/
• (British) IPA: /ˈfeɪvə/

favor (American spelling, alternative in Canada)

1. A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).

   He did me a favor when he took the time to drive me home.

2. Goodwill; benevolent regard.

   She enjoyed the queen's favor.

   to fall out of favor

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗:

     Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. […] She looked around expectantly, and recognizing Mrs. Cooke's maid […] Miss Thorn greeted her with a smile which greatly prepossessed us in her favor.

3. A small gift; a party favor.

   At the holiday dinner, the hosts had set a favor by each place setting.

   A marriage favour is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding.

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene vii]:

     Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and
     stick it in thy cap: when Alencon and myself were
     down together, I plucked this glove from his helm […]

   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 22, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC ↗:

     The rain drove into the bride and bridegroom's faces as they passed to the chariot. The postilions' favours draggled on their dripping jackets.

4. Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
   • 1726 October 27, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver's Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC ↗, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput):

     I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.

5. The object of regard; person or thing favoured.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:

     All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, / His chief delight and favour.

6. (obsolete) Appearance; look; countenance; face.
   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     This boy is fair, of female favour.

7. (legal) Partiality; bias
8. (archaic) A letter, a written communication.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXVIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC ↗:

     I will now take some notice of your last favour; but being so far behind-hand with you, must be brief.

9. (obsolete) Anything worn publicly as a pledge of a woman's favor.
10. (obsolete) A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of an event.

• aid
• help
• lending a hand
• token

• disfavor, unfavor
• (discriminate →) discrimination
• harm
• sabotage

• French: faveur
• German: Gefallen, Gefälligkeit, Dienst
• Italian: favore
• Portuguese: favor
• Russian: услу́га
• Spanish: favor

• French: faveur
• German: Gunst, Gnade, Huld
• Italian: favore
• Russian: расположе́ние
• Spanish: favor

• Italian: bomboniera

favor (favors, present participle favoring; simple past and past participle favored) (US, alternative in Canada, transitive)

1. To look upon fondly; to prefer.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Luke 1:28 ↗:

     And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:

     Even in an era when individuality in dress is a cult, his clothes were noticeable. He was wearing a hard hat of the low round kind favoured by hunting men, and with it a black duffle-coat lined with white.

2. To use more often.
   • 2007, Bert Casper, Shadow Upon the Dream: Book 1: Barrûn, page 537:

     […] alone, without having to favor his right, uninjured leg, […]

3. To encourage, conduce to
4. To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward.

   Would you favor us with a poetry reading?

5. To treat with care.

   Favoring your sore leg will only injure the other one.

6. (in dialects, including, Southern US and Cajun) To resemble; especially, to look like (another person).
   • 1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:

     ‘Mandy?’ he said, and stared at the girl. ‘Don't favor her too much.’ ‘Favors her dad,’ Latha said, and looked at him.

   • 1989, Rayford Clayton Reddell, Robert Galyean, Growing Fragrant Plants, page 13:

     […] chamomile and apples? Those particular smellalikes tested our imagination. Yet much of what he said was right on the mark. The scent of sweet peas, for instance, does indeed favor that of wisteria.

• abet
• assist
• endorse
• favoritize (rare)
• favourite
• sanction

• disfavor
• discriminate

• French: favoriser
• German: begünstigen
• Italian: preferire, privilegiare
• Portuguese: favorecer
• Russian: благоволи́ть
• Spanish: preferir, favorecer

• Italian: fare un favore

• Italian: accudire

1. Surname.