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homage

/ˈhɑːmɪdʒ//ˈhɒmɪdʒ/·noun
special honour or respect shown publicly
Fig. 1 — I watch them come to the statue one at a time.
01Definition

Homage is honour paid openly — a public show of respect or tribute. It began as a feudal term, the vow a vassal swore to a lord, and still carries that sense of deliberate, formal acknowledgement. Today you pay homage with a profound bow, a wreath at a memorial, or a film that nods to a pivotal predecessor. What sets it apart from private admiration is that it is performed and seen: an act, addressed to someone, done where others can witness it.

02In use
  • iThe crowd fell silent to pay homage to a leader whose work would transcend his own lifetime.
  • iiLaying a wreath at the memorial is an act of homage repeated every year.
  • iiiYoung chefs pay homage to the robust country cooking they grew up on.
03Collocations
  • pay homage to
  • an act of homage
  • in homage to
  • do homage
  • a fitting homage
04Relations

=tribute, honour, reverence, respect, deference

≠scorn, contempt

06TOEFL & IELTS

Almost always in the fixed phrase 'pay homage to'. Useful in essays on culture, history, and the arts. Pronunciation varies (the initial 'h' may be dropped in some accents); stress falls on the first syllable. Don't confuse it with 'homily' (a sermon or moralizing talk).

07Asked
How do you pronounce homage — OM-ij or HOM-ij?
Both are accepted. HOM-ij (with the h sounded) is the older, more common form in everyday English. OM-ij (silent h, French-flavoured) is standard in film and art writing. Stress stays on the first syllable either way. So 'pay homage' is usually HOM-ij, while 'an homage to Hitchcock' is often OM-ij.
Is it 'a homage' or 'an homage'?
It depends on how you say the word. If you sound the h (HOM-ij), use 'a homage'. If you drop it (OM-ij), use 'an homage', because the word then begins with a vowel sound. Film and art criticism, which favours the silent-h pronunciation, tends to write 'an homage'; everyday English writes 'a homage'.
What does 'pay homage to' mean?
To show honour or respect publicly — by a bow, a wreath, a speech, or a work that openly nods to someone. The scene above is the phrase in motion: people filing to a statue, each bending low and laying a token in the open, all of it plainly meant for the one figure above. Homage is respect performed where others can see it.
What is the difference between homage and tribute?
They overlap, but tribute is broader and often more personal or emotional — a tribute band, a tribute at a funeral. Homage is more formal and deferential, a deliberate act of honouring someone above you or before you. A tribute can be a heartfelt thank-you; homage is closer to a bow. All homage is tribute; not all tribute rises to homage.
What does 'homage' mean in film and art?
A deliberate nod to an earlier work by a creator who admires it — a shot, scene, or motif that echoes a predecessor on purpose, as a mark of respect. It differs from a parody (which mocks) and from plagiarism (which hides the source). An homage wants you to recognise it: the reference is the tribute.
Can you say 'homages'?
It depends on the sense. In the honour sense, homage is uncountable — you pay homage, not 'three homages'. In the arts sense, it is countable, since distinct references each count as one: 'an homage to Hitchcock', 'the film is full of homages'. So the plural is fine for creative nods, but not for the general act of honouring.
Where does the word homage come from?
From feudalism. Homage was the formal ceremony in which a vassal knelt and swore loyalty to his lord — from Latin homo, 'man', since the vassal became the lord's 'man'. The word kept the bow and the public formality even as it left the feudal world behind, which is why homage is still something performed, not merely felt.