laureate

1 of 3

noun

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science

a Nobel laureate

specifically : poet laureate

laureateship

ˈlȯr-ē-ət-ˌship 

ˈlär-

noun

laureate

2 of 3

verb

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 

ˈlär-

laureated; laureating

transitive verb

1

: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement

2

: to appoint to the office of poet laureate

laureation

ˌlȯr-ē-ˈā-shən 

ˌlär-

noun

laureate

3 of 3

adjective

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

1

: honored for outstanding achievement in an art or science

This was a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate chemist Irving Langmuir …

—Gary Taubes

see also poet laureate

2

: crowned with laurel

Minted in France in 1807, the front of the medal shows the laureate head of Emperor Napoleon and, on the reverse, an eagle clutching a thunderbolt, part of the emperor's imperial seal.

—Brice Stump

Examples of laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Leveraging his intuitions as a physicist, Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger proposed a number of highly speculative, non-mathematical, wrong ideas in biology—and one largely correct idea that anticipated the discovery of DNA, challenging the biological consensus at the time. —Andréa Morris, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Each prize comes with a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million), which is split if multiple laureates are recognized. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Oct. 2024

Verb

Google suddenly finds itself with two Nobel laureates on its staff. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024

Many labs are working to develop treatments based on the discoveries new Nobel laureates Ambros and Ruvkun made decades ago. —Andrea Kasinski, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, crowned with laurel as a distinction, from Latin laureatus, from laurea laurel wreath, from feminine of laureus of laurel, from laurus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing laureate

• poet laureate

Kids Definition

laureate

noun

lau·​re·​ate

ˈlȯr-ē-ət,

ˈlär-

: a person honored for achievement in an art or science

especially : poet laureate

laureate adjective