Honourables

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals of upright character who deserve respect and admiration ; holders of a courtesy title such as members of parliament or the younger children of peers
2. Persons of principled and reputable conduct who earn esteem ; officials or nobles addressed with a formal title of respect such as members of a legislature
3. People widely regarded as men and women of integrity ; those entitled to be styled with a formal courtesy title, such as legislators or peers' younger children

Etymology: "Honourables" is simply the plural of "honourable," used as a noun for people of rank or distinction, such as the members of a legislature or the holders of titles. The plural adds nothing new in meaning; it just counts more than one such person. The adjective "honourable" came into English from Old French "honorable" or "honurable," which in turn came from the Latin "honōrābilis," meaning worthy of honour. That Latin word was built on "honōrāre," "to honour," so the sense of deserving respect was there from the start. English speakers later reanalysed the word as "honour" plus the suffix "-able," which is the ordinary pattern for words meaning capable of being or deserving something. Earlier, English had its own word for the same idea, "ārfæst," which the French-derived term largely replaced in this sense.