Homage Was a Feudal Ceremony With Specific Steps
Homage is public respect. In medieval law it was a formal act, with the vassal's hands placed inside his lord's.
Homage is public respect or honour shown to someone. The medieval ceremony was precise: the vassal knelt, placed his hands between his lord's, and declared himself the lord's man — *homme* in French, which is where the word comes from. The gesture survives in the ordination and investiture ceremonies of several institutions.
- Public respect. *Pay homage.*
- A tribute in art. *An homage to Hitchcock.*
- A feudal act of allegiance. *Doing homage.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | homage | Pay homage. |
| Plural | homages | Several homages. |
| Related | vassal | A loyal vassal. |
| Related | fealty | An oath of fealty. |
| Related | human | A human being. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The film is an homage to noir.Artistic tribute.
- He did homage to the king.The feudal ceremony.
- Homage means becoming someone's man.From French *homme*.
Feudal terms
- Homage — the ceremony of becoming a vassal
- Fealty — the oath of loyalty sworn afterwards
- Fief — the land granted in return
- Vassal — the one holding land from a lord
- Investiture — the formal granting of the fief
From Old French *homage*, from *homme*, man, from Latin *homo*. The vassal declared himself the lord's man.
Is it *an homage* or *a homage*?
Both. Speakers who pronounce it in the French way, without the H, say an homage; those who sound the H say a homage.
Homage or fealty?
Homage was the ceremony of becoming a vassal. Fealty was the oath of loyalty sworn as part of it.