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homage

n.
US //ˈɑmədʒ// UK //hˈɒmɪdʒ// homage
  1. 1 a tribute or show of respect (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    something you do or say to show that you admire someone very much.

    a public demonstration of respect or dedication, often performed to honor a person's legacy or achievements.

    Example

    The new library was built as a homage to the local poet who died last year.

    Example

    The ceremony served as a moving homage to the retiring professor, whose research had fundamentally reshaped the department over four decades.

    Usage

    Often used with the verb 'pay' as in 'to pay homage to someone'.
  2. 2 feudal oath (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Technical Law

    in history, a formal promise of loyalty made by a worker to a lord.

    the formal ceremony or oath by which a vassal declared himself to be the man of his lord and promised him loyalty.

    Example

    The knight knelt before the king to perform his act of homage.

    Example

    The historical record details the specific rituals of homage required of a tenant-in-chief upon inheriting his father's lands.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is strictly historical; modern learners will almost exclusively encounter the 'tribute' or 'artistic' senses.
Origin

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/.

Idioms1 entry

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