FAVOURITE

Favourite

A favourite or favorite, was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler. It is especially a phenomenon of the 16th and 17th centuries, when government had become too complex for many hereditary rulers with no great interest or talent for it, and political constitutions were still evolving. The period 1600-1660 saw particular successions of all-powerful minister-favourites in much of Europe, particularly in Spain, England, France and Sweden.

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favourite

Noun

  1. A person who enjoys special regard or favour.
  2. A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.
  3. A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.
    You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.
  4. A short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of .

Verb

  1. To bookmark.
  2. To add to one's list of favourites on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

Adjective

  1. Preferred or liked above all others (unless qualified.)
    This is my second favourite occupation.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: favourite
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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