Definition of ACCOLADE

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

While she’ll always be known as a fashion icon — among many other accolades — her style was about more than just great taste. — refinery29.com, "20 Years Later, Fashion Is Still Obsessed With Princess Diana," 1 July 2018 The lush fairways and well-manicured greens certainly have a good bit to do with the accolades, but the wide-range of holes and risk-reward shots are just as noteworthy. — Brent Kennedy, Howard County Times, "Whiskey Creek Golf Club," 20 June 2018 Scoops have brought accolades, including a share in a Pulitzer prize for Aristegui Noticias and Colombia’s Connectas for their role in reporting on the Panama papers, which revealed tax evasion by powerful people across the globe. — The Economist, "Latin America’s new media are growing up," 14 July 2018 Robert Cray has been making music for more than 40 years — singing, writing songs, playing guitar and fronting a band — and has countless accolades to his credit, including several Grammy awards. — Annie Alleman, chicagotribune.com, "Robert Cray is still going strong, almost 45 years into his career," 10 July 2018 If healthy, Morgan will break his school record for receiving yards in a season, become the first Cornhusker to crack 1,000 yards and challenge for All-America accolades. 8. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "College football's best wide receivers for 2018," 10 July 2018 Whoever is training staff at Landwer deserves an accolade. — Sheryl Julian, BostonGlobe.com, "Cafe Landwer in Audubon Circle is a taste of home for local Israeli-born residents," 9 July 2018 Not for sending another cherry-red Tesla into space, but for gaining some major accolades from the Air Force. — Amy Thompson, WIRED, "The Air Force Is Already Betting on SpaceX's Brand-New Falcon Heavy," 5 July 2018 As a result, during the June 18 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards, the film received one of the most coveted pop culture accolades available: the Best Kiss award. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Keiynan Lonsdale Accepts the MTV Award for “Best Kiss” in "Love, Simon”," 19 June 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.