honoris causa

American

[oh-noh-ris kou-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.

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

He went to Oxford in 1922 to be made a D. Litt. honoris causa.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Doc. had been conferred on him, honoris causa, by the University of Königsberg.

From Garcia the Centenarian And His Times Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and Science by Mackinlay, M. (Malcolm) Sterling

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