Main Entry:

ku·do

Pronunciation:

\ˈkü-(ˌ)dō, ˈkyü-\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural kudos \-(ˌ)dōz\

Etymology:

back-formation from kudos (taken as a plural)

Date:

1926

1 : award, honor <a score of honorary degrees and…other kudos — Time> 2 : compliment, praise <rarely hear that kind of kudo to men anymore — Ellen Goodman>

usage Some commentators hold that since kudos is a singular word it cannot be used as a plural and that the word kudo is impossible. But kudo does exist; it is simply one of the most recent words created by back-formation from another word misunderstood as a plural. Kudos was introduced into English in the 19th century; it was used in contexts where a reader unfamiliar with Greek could not be sure whether it was singular or plural. By the 1920s it began to appear as a plural, and about 25 years later kudo began to appear. It may have begun as a misunderstanding, but then so did cherry and pea.