honoris causa

American

[oh-noh-ris kau-sah, o-nawr-is kaw-zuh, o-nohr-] / oʊˈnoʊ rɪs ˈkaʊ sɑ, ɒˈnɔr ɪs ˈkɔ zə, ɒˈnoʊr- /

Latin.

as a sign of respect (usually describing an honorary college or university degree).

honoris causa British

/ hɒˈnɔːrɪs ˈkaʊzɑː /

for the sake of honour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of honoris causa

Literally, “for the sake of honor”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

honoris causa

Wearing a black velvet cap and purple graduation gown for the first time, Swift proudly accepted her Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2022

Clergymen are slipping; a century ago they made up 45% of the honoris causa list, after World War II, 5%.

From Time Magazine Archive

Twice awarded him honoris causa, it was given by both Hobart College chapter and the Harvard College chapter in 1929.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the honoris causa hood was placed over McNamara's head, the crowd stood again and clapped.

From Time Magazine Archive

You amuse me with your account of the doctor; and so the Germans have actually taken him for a savant, and given him a degree "honoris causa."

From The Fortunes Of Glencore by Charles James Lever

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023