the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
2.
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.
3.
the state of being approved or admired: The king lived in praise for many years.
4.
Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
–verb (used with object)
5.
to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.
6.
to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.
—Idiom
7.
sing someone's praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically: He is always singing his wife's praises.
[Origin: 1175–1225; (v.) ME preisen < OF preisier to value, prize < LL pretiāre, deriv. of L pretiumprice, worth, reward; (n.) ME, deriv. of the v.; see prize2]
Expression of approval, commendation, or admiration.
The extolling or exaltation of a deity, ruler, or hero.
Archaic A reason for praise; merit.
tr.v.
praised, prais·ing, prais·es
To express warm approbation of, commendation for, or admiration for.
To extol or exalt; worship.
[Middle English preise, from preisen, to praise, from Old French preisier, from Late Latin pretiāre, to prize, from Latin pretium, price; see per-5 in Indo-European roots.]
prais'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to express approval or admiration. To praise is to voice approbation, commendation, or esteem: "She was enthusiastically praising the beauties of Gothic architecture" (Francis Marion Crawford).
Acclaim usually implies hearty approbation warmly and publicly expressed: The film was highly acclaimed by many critics. Commend suggests moderate or restrained approval, as that accorded by a superior: The judge commended the jury for their hard work. Extol suggests exaltation or glorification: "that sign of old age, extolling the past at the expense of the present" (Sydney Smith).
Laud connotes respectful or lofty, often inordinate praise: "aspirations which are lauded up to the skies" (Charles Kingsley).
c.1225, from O.Fr. preisier "to praise, value," from L.L. preciare, earlier pretiare (c.550, see price). Replaced O.E. lof, hreþ. The noun is attested from c.1430, not common until 16c. Now a verb in most Gmc. langs. (Ger. preis, Dan. pris, etc.), but only in Eng. is it differentiated in form from cognate price. Praiseworthy is first recorded 1538.
Ap*plaud"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Applauded; p. pr. & vb. n. Applauding.] [L. applaudere; ad + plaudere to clash, to clap the hands: cf. F. applaudir. Cf. Explode.]1. To show approval of by clapping the hands, acclamation, or other significant sign. I would applaud thee to the very echo, That should applaud again. --Shak. 2. To praise by words; to express approbation of; to commend; to approve. By the gods, I do applaud his courage. --Shak. Syn: To praise; extol; commend; cry up; magnify; approve. See Praise.
Ap*praise"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Appraised; p. pr. & vb. n. Appraising.] [Pref. ad- + praise. See Praise, Price, Apprize, Appreciate.]1. To set a value; to estimate the worth of, particularly by persons appointed for the purpose; as, to appraise goods and chattels. 2. To estimate; to conjecture. Enoch . . . appraised his weight. --Tennyson. 3. To praise; to commend. [Obs.] --R. Browning. Appraised the Lycian custom. --Tennyson. Note: In the United States, this word is often pronounced, and sometimes written, apprize.
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