It was originally a declaration of fealty in the feudal system—swearing that one was the man (French: homme) of the feudal lord.[2] The concept then became used figuratively for an acknowledgement of quality or superiority. For example, a man might give homage to a lady, so honouring her beauty and other graces. In German scholarship, followers of a great scholar developed the custom of honouring their mentor by producing papers for a festschrift dedicated to him.[3]