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baccalaureate

 - 5 dictionary results

bac⋅ca⋅lau⋅re⋅ate

[bak-uh-lawr-ee-it, -lor-]
–noun
1. bachelor's degree.
2. a religious service held at an educational institution, usually on the Sunday before commencement day.
3. baccalaureate sermon.

Origin:
1615–25; < ML baccalaureātus, equiv. to baccalaure(us) advanced student, bachelor (for baccalārius (see bachelor ), alter. by assoc. with L phrase bacca laureus laurel berry) + -ātus -ate 1

bachelor's degree

–noun
a degree awarded by a college or university to a person who has completed undergraduate studies.
Also called baccalaureate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bac·ca·lau·re·ate   (bāk'ə-lôr'ē-ĭt)   
n.  
  1. See bachelor's degree.

  2. A farewell address in the form of a sermon delivered to a graduating class.


[Medieval Latin baccalaureātus (influenced by bacca, berry, and laureātus, crowned with laurel), from baccalārius, bachelor; see bachelor.]
bachelor's degree  
n.  An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete the undergraduate curriculum. Also called baccalaureate.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

baccalaureate 
1625, "university degree of a bachelor," from M.L. baccalaureus "student with the first degree," altered by a play on words with bacca lauri "laurel berry" (laurels being awarded for academic success). The M.L. word perhaps ultimately is derived from L. baculum "staff" (see bacillus), which the young student might carry, but it is more likely just a Latinization of bachelor (q.v.) in its academic sense. In modern U.S. usage, the word usually is short for baccalaureate-sermon (1864), a religious farewell address to the graduating class.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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