accolade

noun

ac·co·lade | \ ˈa-kə-ˌlād

, -ˌläd\

Definition of accolade

1a : a mark of acknowledgment : award received the highest accolade of his profession

b : an expression of praise a movie that has drawn accolades from both fans and critics

2a : a ceremonial embrace

b : a ceremony or salute conferring knighthood

3 music : a brace or a line used in music to join two or more staffs carrying simultaneous parts

Synonyms What is the origin of accolade? More Example Sentences Learn More about accolade

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What is the origin of accolade?

Accolade was borrowed into English in the 16th century from French. The French noun in turn derives from the verb accoler, which means "to embrace," and ultimately from the Latin term collum, meaning "neck." (Collum is also an ancestor of the English word collar.) When it was first borrowed from French, accolade referred to a ceremonial embrace that once marked the conferring of knighthood. The term was later extended to any ceremony conferring knighthood (such as the more familiar tapping on the shoulders with the flat part of a sword's blade), and eventually extended to honors or awards in general.

Examples of accolade in a Sentence

There is no higher accolade at this school than an honorary degree. for their exceptional bravery the firefighters received accolades from both local and national officials His abundant accolades include the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded biannually to an outstanding economist under the age of 40—a distinction said to be predictive of, and perhaps even more prestigious than, receipt of the Nobel in economic science. —“Malefactors of Megawealth” P. 13, David M. Kennedy, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, October 21, 2007 In October 1869, Ida Lewis, The Heroine of Lime Rock was published. Thus was a folk heroine born, saluted, celebrated and accoladed. —PROVIDENCE JOURNAL-BULLETIN (RHODE ISLAND) [NEXIS], May 26, 2002, Ida Lewis, keeper of the lighthouse flame, BYLINE: SAM COALE In 1631, John Weever, a poet whose sonnet "Ad Gulielmum Shakespeare" (1599) is one of the earliest testimonials to its subject, published Ancient Funeral Monuments, a bulky folio, almost 900 pages long, the result of half a lifetime's traipsing through graveyards in search of the illustrious dead. The volume gave pride of place to poets. Only "the muses' works ... give unto man immortality", Weever believed, and it was immortality he served, as he copied funerary inscriptions from crumbling monuments. Assembling these, and printing them alongside extracts of the work and other posthumous accolades and endorsements, Weever produced a biographical anthology of verse which established a pattern for literary compilations still in use today and, at the same time, defined the nature of the activity. Literature was that which had been praised; and literary history was the record of praise. —"Literary Criticism" P. 25, Norma Clarke, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, February 15, 2002 In short, over the last 900 years only four popes have been judged worthy of official beatification and only three of these have been canonized, the church’s highest accolade. —“Religion” P. 50, Kenneth L. Woodward, NEWSWEEK Vol. CXXXVI No. 10, September 4, 2000

Recent Examples on the Web

For all his accolades, Barrett was, well, underwhelming. — Special To The Oregonian, OregonLive.com, "R.J. Barrett: Nation's top player shakes off rust, prepares to put on a show at Nike Hoop Summit," 11 Apr. 2018 Winston has accolades almost too numerous to mention. — Cheryl Wray | Cwray@al.com, AL.com, "Alabama gymnasts you need to know in 2018," 12 Jan. 2018 Acting in Hollywood, even with the awards and accolades, is a very tough profession. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Rita Moreno recalls struggling in Hollywood after Oscar win for 'West Side Story': 'It broke my heart'," 28 July 2018 Shelton and The Voice host Carson Daly originally took the stage to accept the accolade for the best competition show of 2018. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Blake Shelton Gushes Over Girlfriend Gwen Stefani at the People's Choice Awards," 13 Nov. 2018 But with all the accolades and awards comes hours upon hours spent in hair and makeup, doing just about everything physically possible to your skin — and, in Kidman's case, those strawberry-blonde curls. — refinery29.com, "Nicole Kidman's Best Beauty Secrets Involve Plenty Of Sunscreen & A Fever," 25 June 2018 The 5-foot-8 guard out of Princeton High School and Ohio State University has a resume with accolades that span from here to Columbus. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, "Former Princeton, Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell expected to go high in WNBA Draft," 9 Apr. 2018 The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches recognized more than a dozen Fort Bend-area standouts with accolades in their respective regions. — Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, "Egbo, Williams make TABC all-state," 20 Mar. 2018 By Evan Dudley, special to AL.com Six UAB Blazers were honored with postseason accolades as Conference USA unveiled its All-Conference teams on Monday. — AL.com, "6 Blazers make All-Conference USA teams," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accolade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.