last respects
5
3.8
- noun
- Formal
- Might as well sit here till the rest of the world comes by to pay their last respects.
- pay their last respects
Examples
-
Just paying my last respects.
Fiction book (1996) -
"It might not hurt to pay your last respects," Matthew said.
Fiction book (1994) -
Just came to pay our last respects.
-
If you had told me, I would have taken you, given me a chance to pay my last respects.
-
So a man can't pay his last respects?
-
The funeral was a sad affair, with most of the townspeople turning out to pay their last respects.
Fiction book (2000) -
He was already there when they arrived, paying his last respects to the graves.
Fiction book (1991) -
When his father died, the worshipers who gathered in the small hall brought the body to the synagogue to pay their last respects.
Academic text (2001) -
The body had been laid out for three days; various relatives had visited to pay their last respects, meals had been eaten, and tears had been shed.
Blog text (14) -
We are gathered here today to pay our last respects to Sten.
Synonyms
256
4.5
Words or actions that show respect and praise
83
3.7
To show that you admire or feel sorry for someone, for example at a funeral
54
6.8
Public respect shown to someone or something in a formal ceremony
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'last' (= final) combined with 'respects' (= formal gestures of honor) yields 'final expressions of respect,' which maps onto paying honor to someone who has died. This formation is a common, cross-linguistic way to mark a final act of respect (often in the collocation 'pay last respects'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely understand it.
Etymology
Last respects comes from the idea of a final visit at a coffin or grave, where people showed their respects by bowing, speaking quietly, or laying flowers. So, last respects today means a 'final goodbye' or 'to show honor' to someone who has died.