Honeymoon Meaning
/ˈhʌn.iˌmuːn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe period of time immediately following a marriage.
nounA trip taken by a newly married couple during this period.
Sentence Examples
More and more couples go on honeymoon trips abroad.
The new couple have gone off to Hawaii on their honeymoon.
They chose a quiet tropical island for their honeymoon.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After their wedding, the couple went on a ____ to Hawaii.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The newlywed couple spent their ____ relaxing on a beautiful tropical island in Hawaii.
Word Origin & History
From earlier hony moone, originally denoting the period of time following a wedding, equivalent to honey + moon. The original reference was to affection waning like the moon, but later the sense became "the first month, or moon after marriage", which tends to be the sweetest. Compare Middle Low German suckermânt (“honeymoon”, literally “sugar-month”), German Low German Hönnigweken (“honeymoon”, literally “honey-weeks”). The German Honigmond (literally “honey-moon”) is a calque of French lune de miel, itself a calque of the English term.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The new minister and his wife were a young, pleasant-faced couple, still on their honeymoon, and full of all good and beautiful enthusiasms for their chosen lifework."
— 1908 June, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, “Chapter XXII: A New Departure in Flavorings”, in Anne of Green Gables, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, →OCLC:
"I will say, 'Sir, I am going to marry your daughter. Be silent, sir! I have decided to do this and I will not be balked by a gouty old father-in-law. I want you to understand that from now on I am the master of this house. You may write out a check for ten thousand dollars for our honeymoon.'"
— 1923, Robert Ervin Howard, Unhand Me, Villain: A Romance:
"But the “honeymoon” was short. The propertied classes wanted merely a political revolution, which would take the power from the Tsar and give it to them. They wanted Russia to be a constitutional Republic, like France or the United States; or a constitutional Monarchy, like England. On the other hand, the masses of the people wanted real industrial and agrarian democracy."
— 1919, John Reed, Ten Days That Shook the World:
"It was here, surrounded by such friends, that the distinguished Chief Justice swore me in as Vice President on December 6, 1973. It was here I returned 8 months later as your President to ask not for a honeymoon, but for a good marriage."
— 1977 January 12, Gerald Ford, Ford's farewell address:
"It suggests any honeymoon for the new government is over, with falls in approval ratings across the board for the senior figures in the cabinet."
— 2024 September 21, Michael Savage, “Honeymoon over: Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After their wedding, the couple went on a ____ to Hawaii.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The newlywed couple spent their ____ relaxing on a beautiful tropical island in Hawaii.