I. |änə|rifik, -fēk adjective
also hon·or·if·i·cal -fə̇kəl, -fēk-
Etymology: honorific from Latin honorificus, from honorare to honor; honorifical from Latin honorificus + English -al
1. : conferring or conveying honor
honorific social status commonly attaches to membership in a recognized profession — D.D.McKean
a largely honorary but distinctly honorific post — Time
the elaborate set of honorific words used to people of rank — Margaret Mead
2. : belonging to or constituting a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior
• hon·or·if·i·cal·ly -fə̇k(ə)lē, -fēk-, -li adverb
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an honorific term of address especially when used by an Oriental to convey verbal respect
a leader in the movement to abolish caste distinctions — he has officially repudiated the hereditary … honorific of “Pandit” before his name — Robert Trumbull
2. : an honorific word or form