n. (pl. -eys)
1. a sweet sticky yellowish fluid made by bees and other insects from nectar collected from flowers.
2 the colour of this.
3 a sweetness. b a sweet thing.
4 a person or thing excellent of its kind.
5 esp. US (usu. as a form of address) darling, sweetheart.
Phrases and idioms:
honey-badger a ratel. honey-bee any of various bees of the genus Apis, esp. the common hive-bee (A. mellifera). honey-bun (or -bunch) (esp. as a form of address) darling. honey-buzzard any bird of prey of the genus Pernis feeding on the larvae of bees and wasps. honey-eater any Australasian bird of the family Meliphagidae with a long tongue that can take nectar from flowers. honey-fungus a parasitic fungus, Armillaria mellea, with honey-coloured edible toadstools. honey-guide
1. any small bird of the family Indicatoridae which feeds on beeswax and insects.
2 a marking on the corolla of a flower thought to guide bees to nectar. honey-parrot a lorikeet.
honey-pot
1. a pot for honey.
2 a posture with the hands clasped under the hams.
3 something very attractive or tempting. honey sac an enlarged part of a bee's gullet where honey is formed. honey-sweet sweet as honey.
Etymology: OE hunig f. Gmc