I.to clothe or adorn with honor; to honor, dignify; to adorn, grace, embellish (class.; cf. honoro), with personal or inanimate objects.
1. With personal objects quom me tanto honore honestas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 106; 2, 1, 50; cf.: “quod non dignos homines honore honestatos videbam,” Sall. C. 35, 3 Kritz.: “tantam laudem, quantā vos me vestris decretis honestatis, nemo est assecutus, Cic Cat 4, 10, 20: Saturnini imagine mortem ejus honestare,” id. Rab. Perd. 9, 24; id. Sull. 29, 81; id. Off. 1, 39, 139: “haec famigeratio Te honestet, me autem collutulet,” Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 67: “ad eum augendum atque honestandum,” Cic. Off. 2, 6, 21: “a quibus, si interdum ad forum deducimur, si uno basilicae spatio honestamur, diligenter observari videmur et coli,” are honored by being accompanied through the basilica, id. Mur. 34, 70: “summi viri Gracchorum et Flacci sanguine non modo se non contaminarunt, sed etiam honestarunt,” id. Cat. 1, 12, 29: “quem vultus honestat, Dedecorant mores,” Claud. Laud. Stil. 1, 26; cf.: “arma auro et argento distincta corpus rarae magnitudinis honestabant,” Curt. 8, 44, 7: “ingens corpus erat (Navii), et arma honestabant,” Liv. 26, 5, 16.—
II. With inanimate objects: “nec domo dominus, sed domino domus honestanda est,” Cic. Off. 1, 39, 139: “L. Pauli currum rex nobilissimus Perses honestavit,” id. Cat. 4, 10, 21: “caput (avis) plumeo apice honestante (with distinguere),” Plin. 10, 2, 2, § 3; cf. Curt. 8, 13: “formam pudor honestabat,” id. 6, 2; 3, 6 fin.: “exornatio est, qua utimur rei honestandae et locupletandae causa,” adorn, Auct. Her. 2, 18, 28; Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 7.
