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

Though often written off by film critics at the peak of his popularity, Mr. Reynolds earned accolades later in his career. — John Jurgensen, WSJ, "Burt Reynolds, Star of Film and TV, Dies at Age 82," 6 Sep. 2018 Erik has been recognized for his excellence with several awards and accolades from both school and work. — courant.com, "Erik James Connors," 12 June 2019 After three months of wrestling with the ideas in Pitts’ dissertation, Marques and Neves succeeded in that goal, earning numerous awards and accolades. — Quanta Magazine, "Math Duo Maps the Infinite Terrain of Minimal Surfaces," 12 Mar. 2019 The multitalented singer, songwriter, actor and performer has accrued a whole list of accolades in her short time in the spotlight. — Jennifer Lance, Glamour, "Selena Gomez Gave the Sweetest Toast at Her Bodyguard's Wedding," 5 May 2019 The comedian, talk show host, actress, and activist has a long list of accolades, including a Tony, Grammy, two Emmys, two Golden Globes, and an Oscar. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Whoopi Goldberg Battled Dyslexia and Drug Addiction Before Becoming a Movie Star," 8 Nov. 2018 That’s a head-turning price for a (relatively) thing and light machine that won gaming laptop of the year accolades from our Full Nerd podcast. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "The 5 best deals in Newegg's Early Black Friday Sale," 2 Nov. 2018 Later this year, though, Shandong will welcome a new facility, one which is likely to earn it accolades from oenophile snobs: Wine City. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why China Should Be Your Next Wine Destination," 11 Sep. 2018 That’s why Art Carney and Audrey Meadows (Alice Kramden) were deserving of all accolades. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Jackie Gleason 'embraced' lasting success on 'The Honeymooners,' never regretted playing Ralph Kramden," 6 Sep. 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.