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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

honi soit qui mal y pense en · X

Pronunciation

  • /ˌoʊni -/ (General-American)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˌɒni ˌswɑː kiː ˌmal iː ˈpɒ̃s/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌɔni ˌswɑ ki ˌmɑl i ˈpɑ̃s/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French honi soit qui mal y pense (literally “shamed be whoever thinks bad of it” or “shame be to him who thinks evil of it”).

Meanings

  1. The motto of the British chivalric Order of the Garter, still used in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
    • I am at this period, viz. in 1812, living in a cottage; and with a single female servant (honi soit qui mal y pense), who, amongst my neighbours, passes by the name of my "housekeeper." 1821 September–October, [Thomas De Quincey], “[Part II.] Introduction to the Pains of Opium.”, in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 2nd edition, London: […] [J. Moyes] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1823, →OCLC, page 119:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
honni soit qui mal y pense alternative lexicographic

Synonyms

shame to him who thinks ill of it · evil to him that evil thinks · evil be to him who evil thinks · shame be to him who thinks evil of it

Translations (8)

hu rossz az, aki rosszra gondol (honi soit qui mal y pense) · de ein Schelm, der Böses dabei denkt (honi soit qui mal y pense) · fr honni soit qui mal y pense (honi soit qui mal y pense) · pl hańba temu, kto widzi w tym coś nieprzystojnego (honi soit qui mal y pense) · eo honton al tiu, kiu pensas malbonon (honi soit qui mal y pense) · fr honi soit qui mal y pense (honi soit qui mal y pense) · nl schande over wie er kwaad van denkt (honi soit qui mal y pense) · pt execrado seja quem nisto vê malícia (honi soit qui mal y pense)