baccalaureate

noun bac·ca·lau·re·ate \ ˌba-kə-ˈlȯr-ē-ət , -ˈlär- \

|Updated on: 4 Jun 2018

Definition of baccalaureate

1 : the degree of bachelor conferred by universities and colleges

2 a : a sermon to a graduating class

b : the service at which this sermon is delivered

Recent Examples of baccalaureate from the Web

With commencements and the world of adulthood beckoning, a group of La Cañada graduates took a moment Tuesday to reflect upon their faith during a baccalaureate service at St. Bede the Venerable Roman Catholic Church.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "La Cañada graduates share testimonials, gratitude in interfaith baccalaureate service," 31 May 2018
This deeply religious community came together Sunday for prayer services at local churches and a traditional end-of-school baccalaureate service that acknowledged the pain wracking Santa Fe, a town of 13,000 people.

— chicagotribune.com, "Texas school shooting survivors face a 'spiritual war zone'," 21 May 2018
Students also attended baccalaureate services Sunday evening, with graduation set for June 1.

— keri blakinger, gabrielle banks and brooke lewis, San Antonio Express-News, "Santa Fe community grieves as investigation continues into massacre," 20 May 2018
The Transfer Honor Roll recognizes baccalaureate degree-granting schools that help ease community college transfers.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville News Digest: Food Truck Friday, new Metra schedule, dance academy auditions," 18 May 2018
Post-baccalaureate recipients must commit to teaching as a clinical instructor, working in a full-time faculty position or serving as a clinical preceptor — a practitioner who also mentors and instructs — within three years of graduation.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "University of Maryland School of Nursing receives $10 million gift for scholarships," 10 May 2018
In 1861, at the age of 37, Daubié became France’s first female baccalaureate.

— laignee barron, Time, "What to Know About Julie-Victoire Daubié, the French Feminist Born 194 Years Ago Today," 27 Mar. 2018
The school said in a news release Monday that 92 percent of UT baccalaureate programs system-wide have a debt-to-income ratio of 10 percent or less one year after graduation, and 99 percent of them hold that statistic five years after graduation.

— annie millerbernd, San Antonio Express-News, "What does the new UT data say about UTSA graduates?," 28 Mar. 2018
In their applications, the candidates highlighted their experiences: Bonahue has overseen the addition of nine new baccalaureate degree programs and an advising system designed to improve course completion and retention rates.

— annie martin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Seminole State presidential search narrows to 3," 22 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of baccalaureate

borrowed from Medieval Latin baccalaureātus, respelling (perhaps influenced by bacca laurī "laurel berry") of bacheleriātus, from bachelarius "knight lacking retainers, young clerk, person with an initial university degree" + Latin -ātus ²-ate — more at ¹bachelor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1649

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

BACCALAUREATE Defined for English Language Learners

baccalaureate

noun

Definition of baccalaureate for English Language Learners

: a test taken by students in France and some other countries in order to qualify for attending a university
: a sermon given to a class of graduating students at a school
: the service at which this sermon is given