Homage

 WORD OF THE DAY

homage / noun / AH-mij

Definition
1a: a feudal ceremony by which a man acknowledges himself the vassal of a lord
1b: the relationship between a feudal lord and his vassal
1c: an act done or payment made in meeting the obligations due from a vassal to a feudal lord
2a: expression of high regard
2b: respect
2c: something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another
2d: tribute

Examples
One scene in the movie was clearly an homage to the director's mentor and idol.

"Seeing Cobb Vanth ride what looked like one of the engines from Anakin Skywalker's podracer is an entirely different thing. It's these small Easter eggs that make the show so great. 'Mandalorian' pays homage to the past without fully making it a recap of the previous shows."
— Herb Scribner, The Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), 30 Oct. 2020

Did You Know?
The root of homage is homo-, the Latin root meaning "man."
In medieval times, a king's male subject could officially become the king's man (or vassal) by publicly announcing allegiance to the monarch in a formal ceremony.
In that ritual, known as homage, the subject knelt and placed his hands between those of his lord, symbolically surrendering himself and putting himself at the lord's disposal and under his jurisdiction.
A bond was thus forged between the two; the vassal's part was to revere and serve his lord, and the lord's role was to protect the vassal and his family.