Definition of belaud
transitive verb
: to praise usually to excess
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belaud was our Word of the Day on 08/25/2012. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of belaud in a Sentence
critically belauded in his heyday, that early 20th-century novelist is now largely forgotten
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."
First Known Use of belaud
1820
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