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laureate

 - 3 dictionary results

lau⋅re⋅ate

  [lawr-ee-it, lor-]
Use laureate in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who has been honored for achieving distinction in a particular field or with a particular award: a Nobel laureate.
2. poet laureate.
–adjective
3. deserving or having special recognition for achievement, as for poetry (often used immediately after the noun that is modified): poet laureate; conjurer laureate.
4. having special distinction or recognition in a field: the laureate men of science.
5. crowned or decked with laurel as a mark of honor.
6. consisting of or resembling laurel, as a wreath or crown.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; < L laureātus crowned with laurel, equiv. to laure(us) of laurel (laur(us) bay tree + -eus -eous ) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
lau⋅re⋅ate⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To laureate
lau·re·ate   (lôr'ē-ĭt, lŏr'-)   
adj.  

  1. Worthy of the greatest honor or distinction: "The nation's pediatrician laureate is preparing to lay down his black bag" (James Traub).

  2. Crowned or decked with laurel as a mark of honor.

  3. Archaic Made of laurel sprigs, as a wreath or crown.

n.  

  1. One honored or awarded a prize for great achievements especially in the arts or sciences: a Nobel laureate.

  2. A poet laureate.


[Middle English, from Latin laureātus, adorned with laurel, from laurea, crown of laurel, from feminine of laureus, of laurel, from laurus, laurel.]
lau're·ate·ship' n.
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

laureate 
c.1386, from L. laureatus "crowned with laurels," from laurea "laurel crown" (emblematic of victory or distinction in poetry), from fem. of laureus "of laurel," from laurus "laurel." Laureat poete first found in "Canterbury Tales;" the first official one was probably Ben Jonson (1638), though the first recorded one was Dryden (1668). Extended to Nobel prize winners, 1947.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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