homage
homage — noun
1. a feeling or public expression of great respect and admiration directed toward s
a feeling or public expression of great respect and admiration directed toward someone you honour, such as a leader, a hero, or a god
The crowd stood in silence as a homage to the victims of the earthquake.
a homage to [sb/sth]
Eve paid homage to her grandmother by learning the traditional recipes she used to make.
pay homage to [sb]
The monument was built as an homage to the soldiers who died defending the city.
Shanti bowed before the sacred tree as a gesture of homage to the forest spirits.
Rachid visited the family shrine to pay his humble homage to the ancestors.
- respect
more general and everyday; 'homage' implies a more formal or ritualised public act
- reverence
deeper emotion, often spiritual, suggesting awe; 'homage' is more about public honour
- tribute
a concrete public act, speech, or gift that honours someone; 'tribute' is more specific about the form
- veneration
formal and intense, suggesting treating someone as sacred; less common in everyday use
- disrespect
lack of respect or courtesy
- contempt
a feeling that someone is worthless or beneath notice
文法句型
pay homage to [sb/sth]
in homage to [sb/sth]
用法筆記
Often used in the fixed phrases 'pay homage to' or 'in homage to'. The noun is almost always uncountable in this sense, so avoid saying 'a homage' outside the fixed expression 'as a homage to'.
常見錯誤
2. a creative work — such as a film, book, painting, or performance — that delibera
a creative work — such as a film, book, painting, or performance — that deliberately borrows from or echoes the style of another artist or cultural movement as a way of honouring their influence
The director's latest film is an homage to the black-and-white horror movies of the 1930s.
an homage to [sth]
Andrés painted a mural in his mentor's bold style as homage to her influence.
The restaurant's tasting menu is a clever homage to the street food of Bangkok.
Mizuki's novel borrows its structure from classic detective fiction, a clear homage to the genre.
- tribute
broader — can be any act of honouring, not limited to creative works
- salute
more formal and direct, often used metaphorically ('a salute to classic cinema')
- acknowledgment
less emotional, more factual; may not carry the same sense of admiration
文法句型
an homage to [sb/sth]
a homage to [sb/sth]
用法筆記
In this sense, 'homage' can be countable ('an homage' / 'a homage') or uncountable. The silent-h pronunciation of 'homage' (/'ɒmɪdʒ/ in British English and /ˈoʊmɪdʒ/ or /ˈɑmɪdʒ/ in American English) makes 'an homage' the natural choice in writing. The thing being honoured is typically an artist, a genre, or a cultural movement.
常見錯誤
3. in medieval Europe, a formal ritual where a person publicly swore loyalty and mi
in medieval Europe, a formal ritual where a person publicly swore loyalty and military service to a lord, receiving protection and land-use rights in return
The knight knelt before the king and performed homage for his new lands.
perform homage
During the homage ceremony, the vassal placed his hands inside the lord's hands.
homage ceremony
Lord Vikram received homage from his new vassals in the castle's great hall.
The homage ritual created a lifelong bond between the lord and his sworn follower.
- fealty
the oath of loyalty itself, closely tied to the homage ceremony
- allegiance
broader in scope, not limited to feudal contexts
- submission
focuses on the vassal's acceptance of the lord's authority, less positive in tone
文法句型
perform homage
do homage to [sb]
ceremony of homage
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 describes the ceremony itself (the act of swearing loyalty), while sense 4 describes the ongoing legal relationship that resulted from that ceremony. The verbs used with sense 3 are typically 'do', 'perform', or 'swear', not 'pay'.
常見錯誤
4. the mutual rights and duties that bind a lord and the person who has sworn loyal
the mutual rights and duties that bind a lord and the person who has sworn loyalty to him, including the lord's promise of protection and the follower's obligation of military service
The baron held the valley by right of homage and fealty to the king.
right of homage
The bond of homage required Sari to provide soldiers whenever the king called for war.
bond of homage
By oath of homage, the noble owed his lord forty days of service a year.
Breaking the bond of homage was treated as a serious crime under feudal law.
- independence
freedom from a lord's authority
- autonomy
self-governance, the opposite of being bound to a lord
文法句型
bond of homage
by homage
right of homage
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 describes the ceremony that creates the relationship, while this sense describes the relationship itself — the rights, duties, and ongoing obligations on both sides. This sense is the most technical and is rarely encountered outside historical writing about feudalism.