favour

Favour is a term with several related senses. As a noun, it denotes a benevolent act performed for someone at their request, or a thing granted that gives advantage. As a verb, to favour means to prefer one option over another or to show partiality; to do someone a favour is to perform a helpful act for them.

The word derives from Old French faveur, from Latin favorem, related to favēre “to be favorable.” The earliest English senses concerned an act of kindness or service and later extended to preference and support.

British English uses favour for both noun and verb; American English uses favor. Related forms show spelling differences: favourable versus favorable, favourite versus favorite. In everyday language, these variants do not alter meaning, but they reveal regional practice in spelling and style.

Usage often centers on social and political contexts. In informal speech, asking someone to do a favour is common, and reciprocating—“returning the favour”—is a familiar notion. In formal or legal writing, “in favour of” or “in his favour” denotes approval, support, or a favorable outcome, while the opposite is described as disfavour or, less commonly, in disfavor. The adjective favourable/favorable is used to describe conditions, terms, or opinions that are positive.

Beyond the core senses, favour relates to bias and preference, as in favouritism, and to objects of special regard, as in a person’s favourite or favourite item. The choice between favor and favour largely follows regional conventions, though core meanings remain aligned across varieties of English.