Honey

Honey, hun′i, n. a sweet, thick fluid collected by bees from the flowers of plants: anything sweet like honey.—v.t. to sweeten: to make agreeable:—pr.p. hon′eying; pa.p. hon′eyed (-′id).—adj. (Shak.) sweet.—ns. Hon′ey-bag, an enlargement of the alimentary canal of the bee in which it carries its load of honey; Hon′eybear, a South American carnivorous mammal about the size of a cat, with a long protrusive tongue, which it uses to rob the nests of wild bees; Hon′ey-bee, the hive-bee; Hon′ey-buzz′ard, a genus of buzzards or falcons, so called from their feeding on bees, wasps, &c.; Hon′eycomb, a comb or mass of waxy cells formed by bees, in which they store their honey: anything like a honeycomb.—v.t. to fill with cells: to perforate.—adj. Hon′eycombed (-kōmd), formed like a honeycomb.—ns. Hon′ey-crock (Spens.), a crock or pot of honey; Hon′eydew, a sugary secretion from the leaves of plants in hot weather: a fine sort of tobacco moistened with molasses.—adjs. Hon′eyed, Hon′ied, covered with honey: sweet: flattering; Hon′eyless, destitute of honey.—ns. Hon′ey-guide, -indicator, a genus of African birds supposed to guide men to honey by hopping from tree to tree with a peculiar cry; Hon′ey-lō′cust, an ornamental North American tree; Hon′eymoon, Hon′eymonth, the first month after marriage, commonly spent in travelling, before settling down to the business of life.—v.i. to keep one's honeymoon.—adj. Hon′ey-mouthed, having a honeyed mouth or speech: soft or smooth in speech.—ns. Hon′ey-stalk, prob. the flower of the clover; Hon′ey-suck′er, a large family of Australian birds; Hon′eysuckle, a climbing shrub with beautiful cream-coloured flowers, so named because honey is readily sucked from the flower.—adjs. Hon′ey-sweet, sweet as honey; Hon′ey-tongued, having a honeyed tongue or speech: soft or pleasing in speech.—Virgin honey, honey that flows of itself from the comb; Wild honey, honey made by wild bees. [A.S. hunig; Ger. honig, Ice. hunang.]