homage was the formal and public acknowledgement by a vassal of his allegiance and obligations to a lord of whom he held land or whose overlordship he accepted. Thus English kings paid homage, albeit usually reluctantly, to the kings of France for their tenure of Aquitaine, and in turn claimed homage from Welsh princes and Scottish kings. Simple homage accepted that the land was held of a lord but did not oblige the vassal to pay the full range of feudal services. Liege homage involved the vassal admitting his obligation to pay all services, including the provision of military assistance. By making an act of homage, the vassal's own rights were deemed to be confirmed by his lord. The ceremony of homage involved the vassal kneeling before his lord, the clasping of hands, the uttering of certain key words which acknowledged lordship, and the kissing which symbolized accord. An oath of fealty might also be paid. In theory the reciprocal bond created by an act of homage lasted for the lifetime of both parties but was broken if either failed to maintain his side of the agreement. Homage by the peers of the realm remains part of the coronation service.

Anne Curry

Homage ★★ 1995 (R)

Archie's (Whaley) an emotionally disturbed mathematical nerd who needs a break from academia and persuades widowed ex-teacher Katherine Samuel (Danner) to hire him as caretaker for her New Mexico ranch. The duo achieve a strange serenity that shatters when Katherine's TV star daughter, self-absorbed Lucy (Lee), arrives seeking shelter because of her drug and drinking problems. A nasty triangle ensues as Lucy makes the mistake of sexually enticing, then rejecting, the needy Archie. In fact, the mistake's fatal. Based on Medoff's play “The Homage That Follows.” 100m/C VHS, DVD . Frank Whaley, Blythe Danner, Sheryl Lee, Bruce Davison, Danny Nucci; D: Ross Kagen Marks; W: Mark Medoff; C: Tom Richmond; M: W.G. Snuffy Walden.

hom·age / ˈ(h)ämij/ • n. special honor or respect shown publicly: they paid homage to the local boy who became president | a masterly work written in homage to Beethoven. ∎  hist. formal public acknowledgment of feudal allegiance: a man doing homage to his personal lord.

homage XIII. ME. (h)omage — OF. (h)omage (mod. hommage) :- medL. homināticum, f. homō, homin- man; see -AGE.