Honey

[huhn-ee] /ˈhʌn i/

noun, plural honeys.
1.
a sweet, viscid fluid produced by bees from the nectar collected from flowers, and stored in nests or hives as food.
2.
this substance as used in cooking or as a spread or sweetener.
3.
the nectar of flowers.
4.
any of various similarly sweet, viscid products produced by insects or in other ways.
5.
something sweet, delicious, or delightful:
the honey of flattery.
6.
Informal. a person for whom one feels love or deep affection; sweetheart; darling.
7.
(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).
8.
Informal. something of especially high quality, degree of excellence, etc.:
That’s a honey of a computer.
adjective
9.
of, like, or pertaining to honey; sweet.
10.
containing honey or flavored or sweetened with honey.
verb (used with object), honeyed or honied, honeying.
11.
Informal. to talk flatteringly or endearingly to (often followed by up).
12.
to sweeten or flavor with or as if with honey.
verb (used without object), honeyed or honied, honeying.
13.
Informal. to use flattery, endearing terms, etc., in an effort to obtain something (often followed by up):
They always got what they wanted by honeying up to their grandfather.
/ˈhʌnɪ/
noun
1.
a sweet viscid substance made by bees from nectar and stored in their nests or hives as food. It is spread on bread or used as a sweetening agent
2.
any similar sweet substance, esp the nectar of flowers
3.
anything that is sweet or delightful
4.
(often capital) (mainly US & Canadian) a term of endearment
5.
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) something considered to be very good of its kind: a honey of a car
6.
(modifier) of, concerned with, or resembling honey
verb honeys, honeying, honeyed, honied
7.
(transitive) to sweeten with or as if with honey
8.
(often foll by up) to talk to (someone) in a fond or flattering way
n.

Old English hunig, from Proto-Germanic *hunagam- (cf. Old Norse hunang, Swedish honung, Old Saxon huneg, Old Frisian hunig, Middle Dutch honich, Dutch honig, Old High German honang, German Honig “honey”); perhaps from PIE *k(e)neko- “yellow, golden” (cf. Sanskrit kancanum, Welsh canecon “gold”). The more common Indo-European word is represented by Gothic miliþ (from PIE *melith “honey;” see Melissa). A term of endearment from at least mid-14c. Meaning “anything good of its kind” is 1888, American English.
v.

mid-14c., from honey (n.). Related: Honeyed; honeying.

noun

(1.) Heb. ya’ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25, 27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods. (2.) Nopheth, honey that drops (Ps. 19:10; Prov. 5:3; Cant. 4:11). (3.) Debash denotes bee-honey (Judg. 14:8); but also frequently a vegetable honey distilled from trees (Gen. 43:11; Ezek. 27:17). In these passages it may probably mean “dibs,” or syrup of grapes, i.e., the juice of ripe grapes boiled down to one-third of its bulk. (4.) Tsuph, the cells of the honey-comb full of honey (Prov. 16:24; Ps. 19:10). (5.) “Wild honey” (Matt. 3:4) may have been the vegetable honey distilled from trees, but rather was honey stored by bees in rocks or in trees (Deut. 32:13; Ps. 81:16; 1 Sam. 14:25-29). Canaan was a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). Milk and honey were among the chief dainties in the earlier ages, as they are now among the Bedawin; and butter and honey are also mentioned among articles of food (Isa. 7:15). The ancients used honey instead of sugar (Ps. 119:103; Prov. 24:13); but when taken in great quantities it caused nausea, a fact referred to in Prov. 25:16, 17 to inculcate moderation in pleasures. Honey and milk also are put for sweet discourse (Cant. 4:11).