encomium
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of encomium
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin, from Greek enkṓmion, equivalent to en- en- 2 + kôm(os) “a revel” + -ion noun suffix
Explanation
An encomium is a fancy word for a formal speech or piece of writing that warmly praises someone or something. Encomium comes from the Greek word enkomion which, in a nutshell, is to honor someone or something at a party in a poetic speech. It used to refer to the song for the winner of the Olympic Games, sung at a victory celebration. You might hear an encomium at a retirement party, after you publish a fabulous book, or even at a funeral (a eulogy, or speech at a funeral about the person who died, is a kind of encomium). It's pronounced with a long O, en-CO-mium.
Vocabulary lists containing encomium
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Advanced
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Reading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - High School
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Gulliver's Travels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Barrack managed to slip an encomium to his alleged clients into the chat, mentioning as “allies ... countries like Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed,” the emirate’s crown prince.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2021
The liner notes for “This Departing Landscape” include an encomium from one the British scene’s elders, Julian Anderson.
From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2021
Granted, those who claim the authority to instruct the rest of us on what deserves that encomium missed its true significance.
From Salon • Feb. 29, 2020
The tone they struck was the conscious-uncoupling style of our era, a blissed-out encomium that included the phrases “loving exploration,” “shared lives,” “incredibly lucky,” “deeply grateful,” and “wonderful futures ahead.”
From Slate • Jan. 9, 2019
Mr. President, I shall enter on no encomium upon Massachusetts—she needs none.
From The American Quarterly Review No. XVIII, June 1831 (Vol 9) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
