belaud

Did You Know?

You may recognize the word laud (meaning "to praise or extol") in "belaud." In fact, "belaud" was formed by combining the prefix be- and the verb "laud." Since "be-" can denote both "to a greater degree" and "excessively or ostentatiously," it perhaps should come as no surprise that while "laud" may imply praise to a deserved degree, "belaud" often has the connotations of unreasonable or undeserved praise. Incidentally, both "laud" and by extension "belaud" derive from the Latin verb laudare, which in turn traces back to laud-, meaning "praise." Other descendants of "laud-" in English include "laudatory," "laudable," and even laudation, meaning "an act of praising."