favor
To look like or take after somebody, usually kin.
Also called favours, take after.
Updated September 21, 2026
favor pronunciation
/FAY-ver/
Meaning
In Southern and Appalachian talk, "favor" mostly means resemble. "He favors his daddy" means the boy looks or acts like his dad. Folks still use the regular sense of doing somebody a kindness, but the family-likeness meaning is the one that marks the dialect. Outsiders sometimes hear it wrong and think you mean the kid is polite to his mama.
How folks use it
- “That baby sure favors his granddaddy around the eyes.”
- “She favors her mama when she gets mad.”
Origin and etymology
Older English kept a sense of favor meaning resemble or show the features of. Southern and Appalachian speech held onto it. Blind Pig and other mountain word lists still treat "favors his daddy" as everyday Appalachian vocabulary. Wiktionary flags the resemble sense for Southern US and Cajun speech.
Frequently asked questions
Does favor always mean do a kindness?
No. Down South it often means look like or take after somebody, especially family.