Favoritism - what is it? Favorites and rulers. The origin of the word and its use

The article tells about favoritism - what is it? Favorites - everyone knows the word. Its origin is explained here, its synonyms and examples of use are given.

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All at least once, but heard this word, and most often it is associated either with the era of court intrigues, or with sports. In fact, it can be used in different situations, not limited to the examples listed. We will analyze its origin, translation, synonyms and the most frequent circumstances of use. So what are favorites?

Origin

Like a very large number of words, it came to us from other languages and contains both Italian and Latin roots. In Italian it sounds like a favorito, and in Latin it's a favor. The translation is the same - "benevolence". Simply put, a favorite is called one or another person who enjoys someone's protection, favor or popularity within the framework of some competition or a particular society. So what are favorites in simpler language?

Palace intrigues

According to the encyclopedia, such a thing as favoritism is a phenomenon that existed earlier in the monarchy palaces, under which a single person could enjoy the monarch's favor, he could raise it. Or else it could be a whole group of people, not just one person.

For such a phenomenon, the official or unofficial transfer of certain rights and duties of the ruler, their delegation is very characteristic. Also, history knows cases when favorites used absolutely all powers of the monarch, and bypassing the established rules, laws or traditions. So now we know what the favorites are.

Causes

But what are the reasons for this phenomenon? Why does the monarch not govern himself, but transfers part of the duties to another person?

It's not just about personal affection and disposition. The favorite does not have to be alone, because, in fact, favoritism helps to concentrate power in the circle of closest friends and courtiers, in which the ruler is confident.

Perhaps the most vivid example of this phenomenon can be considered the history of Catherine II and her 11 favorites, among which the most "main" and famous was Count Orlov. It is estimated that only the cost of official gifts to this group of people amounted to 92 million rubles! This is a fabulous amount, which several times exceeded the annual budget of the country of that era. Not to mention such gifts as titles, estates and serfs.

A synonym for the word "favorite"

Synonyms for this word are as follows:

• Favorite.
• Gambling.
• Idol.
• Beloved.
• The subject of love.
• Protege.

However, the opinion that the favorites necessarily consisted in intimate proximity with the rulers was mistaken. Yes, such cases have happened, but they are not obligatory at all. By and large, such gossip is spread by authors of pseudo-historical books and other works.

Sport

In sport, you can also hear this word. It is applied to those participants of the competition who have the most potential chances of winning. Also so can not only call athletes, people, but also animals. For example, horses on horse races.

So we disassembled the meaning of the word "favorite", translating it, the most frequent cases of use.