baccalaureate

noun

bac·​ca·​lau·​re·​ate ˌba-kə-ˈlȯr-ē-ət How to pronounce baccalaureate (audio)
-ˈlär-
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

Examples of baccalaureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After receiving an international baccalaureate degree from B.D. Somani International School in Mumbai, Merchant, 29, graduated from New York University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, according to her LinkedIn profile. Cailey Gleeson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Three years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making the pilot program permanent and expanding baccalaureate authority to 30 more colleges in additional fields that don’t conflict with the state universities’ offerings. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2024 Educational Requirements Comprehensive Education: The path to sit for the CPA exam and become licensed starts with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2024 By the same token, the state universities resisted efforts by the community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees in some fields that the CSU schools had shunned. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2024 The airframe manufacturing technology program broke ground as among the first such baccalaureate programs in the state. Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2023 Nearby, the baron and baroness also built the Ullens School, which offers an international baccalaureate curriculum. Alex Traub, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023 Bowdoin College in Maine (19 students) was the leader among baccalaureate colleges, followed by Washington and Lee University (15), Oberlin College (13), Pitzer College (13), and Bates College (12). Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 Most of the other colleges in the region that offer baccalaureate programs in dental hygiene are private universities, where tuition can run more than $120,000. Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baccalaureate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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 -ate entry 2 — more at bachelor entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of baccalaureate was circa 1649

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Cite this Entry

“Baccalaureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baccalaureate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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