Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Favor \Fa"vor\, n. [Written also favour.] [OF. favor, F. faveur,
   L. favor, fr. favere to be favorable, cf. Skr. bh[=a]vaya to
   further, foster, causative of bh[=u] to become, be. Cf. {Be}.
   In the phrase to curry favor, favor is prob. for favel a
   horse. See 2d {Favel}.]
   1. Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly
      disposition; kindness; good will.

            Hath crawled into the favor of the king. --Shak.

   2. The act of countenancing, or the condition of being
      countenanced, or regarded propitiously; support;
      promotion; befriending.

            But found no favor in his lady's eyes. --Dryden.

            And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in
            favor with God and man.               --Luke ii. 52.

   3. A kind act or office; kindness done or granted;
      benevolence shown by word or deed; an act of grace or good
      will, as distinct from justice or remuneration.

            Beg one favor at thy gracious hand.   --Shak.

   4. Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.

            I could not discover the lenity and favor of this
            sentence.                             --Swift.

   5. The object of regard; person or thing favored.

            All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, His
            chief delight and favor.              --Milton.

   6. A gift or represent; something bestowed as an evidence of
      good will; a token of love; a knot of ribbons; something
      worn as a token of affection; as, a marriage favor is a
      bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a
      wedding.

            Wear thou this favor for me, and stick it in thy
            cap.                                  --Shak.

   7. Appearance; look; countenance; face. [Obs.]

            This boy is fair, of female favor.    --Shak.

   8. (Law) Partiality; bias. --Bouvier.

   9. A letter or epistle; -- so called in civility or
      compliment; as, your favor of yesterday is received.

   10. pl. Love locks. [Obs.] --Wright.

   {Challenge} {to the favor or for favor} (Law), the challenge
      of a juror on grounds not sufficient to constitute a
      principal challenge, but sufficient to give rise to a
      probable suspicion of favor or bias, such as acquaintance,
      business relation, etc. See {Principal challenge}, under
      {Challenge}.

   {In favor of}, upon the side of; favorable to; for the
      advantage of.

   {In favor with}, favored, countenanced, or encouraged by.

   {To curry favor} [see the etymology of {Favor}, above], to
      seek to gain favor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or
      officious civilities.

   {With one's favor}, or {By one's favor}, with leave; by kind
      permission.

            But, with your favor, I will treat it here.
                                                  --Dryden.

   Syn: Kindness; countenance; patronage; support; lenity;
        grace; gift; present; benefit.

Challenge \Chal"lenge\, n. [OE. chalenge claim, accusation,
   challenge, OF. chalenge, chalonge, claim, accusation,
   contest, fr. L. calumnia false accusation, chicanery. See
   {Calumny}.]
   1. An invitation to engage in a contest or controversy of any
      kind; a defiance; specifically, a summons to fight a duel;
      also, the letter or message conveying the summons.

            A challenge to controversy.           --Goldsmith.

   2. The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his
      post, and demanding the countersign.

   3. A claim or demand. [Obs.]

            There must be no challenge of superiority.
                                                  --Collier.

   4. (Hunting) The opening and crying of hounds at first
      finding the scent of their game.

   5. (Law) An exception to a juror or to a member of a court
      martial, coupled with a demand that he should be held
      incompetent to act; the claim of a party that a certain
      person or persons shall not sit in trial upon him or his
      cause. --Blackstone

   6. An exception to a person as not legally qualified to vote.
      The challenge must be made when the ballot is offered. [U.
      S.]

   {Challenge to the array} (Law), an exception to the whole
      panel.

   {Challenge to the favor}, the alleging a special cause, the
      sufficiency of which is to be left to those whose duty and
      office it is to decide upon it.

   {Challenge to the polls}, an exception taken to any one or
      more of the individual jurors returned.

   {Peremptory challenge}, a privilege sometimes allowed to
      defendants, of challenging a certain number of jurors
      (fixed by statute in different States) without assigning
      any cause.

   {Principal challenge}, that which the law allows to be
      sufficient if found to be true.

Challenge \Chal"lenge\, v. i.
   To assert a right; to claim a place.

         Where nature doth with merit challenge.  --Shak.

Challenge \Chal"lenge\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Challenged}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Challenging}.] [OE. chalengen to accuse, claim, OF.
   chalengier, chalongier, to claim, accuse, dispute, fr. L.
   calumniar to attack with false accusations. See {Challenge},
   n., and cf. {Calumniate}.]
   1. To call to a contest of any kind; to call to answer; to
      defy.

            I challenge any man to make any pretense to power by
            right of fatherhood.                  --Locke.

   2. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by
      personal combat.

            By this I challenge him to single fight. --Shak.

   3. To claim as due; to demand as a right.

            Challenge better terms.               --Addison.

   4. To censure; to blame. [Obs.]

            He complained of the emperors . . . and challenged
            them for that he had no greater revenues . . . from
            them.                                 --Holland.

   5. (Mil.) To question or demand the countersign from (one who
      attempts to pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged
      us, with ``Who comes there?''

   6. To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the
      accuracy of a statement or of a quotation.

   7. (Law) To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or
      member of a court.

   8. To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the
      ground that the person in not qualified as a voter. [U.
      S.]

   {To challenge to the} {array, favor, polls}. See under
      {Challenge}, n.

Source : WordNet®

challenge
     v 1: take exception to; "She challenged his claims" [syn: {dispute},
           {gainsay}]
     2: issue a challenge to; "Fischer challenged Spassky to a
        match"
     3: ask for identification; "The illegal immigrant was
        challenged by the border guard"
     4: raise a formal objection in a court of law [syn: {take
        exception}]

challenge
     n 1: a demanding or stimulating situation; "they reacted
          irrationally to the challenge of Russian power"
     2: a call to engage in a contest or fight
     3: questioning a statement and demanding an explanation; "his
        challenge of the assumption that Japan is still our enemy"
     4: a formal objection to the selection of a particular person
        as a juror
     5: a demand by a sentry for a password or identification