accolade

[ ak-uh-leyd, -lahd; ak-uh-leyd, -lahd ]

noun

1. any award, honor, or laudatory notice:

   The play received accolades from the press.

2. a light touch on the shoulder with the flat side of the sword or formerly by an embrace, done in the ceremony of conferring knighthood.
3. the ceremony itself.
4. Music. a brace joining several staves.
5. Architecture.
   1. an archivolt or hood molding having more or less the form of an ogee arch.
   2. a decoration having more or less the form of an ogee arch, cut into a lintel or flat arch.

accolade

/ ˈækəˌleɪd; ˌækəˈleɪd /

noun

1. strong praise or approval; acclaim
2. an award or honour
3. the ceremonial gesture used to confer knighthood, originally an embrace, now a touch on the shoulder with a sword
4. See brace
   a rare word for brace
5. architect a curved ornamental moulding, esp one having the shape of an ogee arch

Other Words From

• acco·laded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accolade¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from French, derivative of accolée “embrace” (with -ade -ade ¹ ), noun use of feminine past participle of Old French accoler, verb derivative of col “neck” ( collar ), with a- a- ⁵

Word History and Origins

Origin of accolade¹

C17: via French and Italian from Vulgar Latin accollāre (unattested) to hug; related to Latin collum neck

Example Sentences

By the way, why is special interests always shady while special needs is practically an accolade?

From The Daily Beast

What Kurland said he remembered most though was not an individual accolade, but a moment that transcended sport.

From The Daily Beast

It was a history-making accolade for Ridley, who became only the second black person to win the Best Screenplay Oscar.

From The Daily Beast

In some ways, “pioneer” is the most lucrative accolade of all.

From The Daily Beast

“Unsung Yugoslavian novelist” is not the sort of accolade that moves a book off of a shelf.

From The Daily Beast

The meanest hind was ennobled by the accolade of martyrdom to the loftiest peerage of the skies.

From Project Gutenberg

What sort of an accolade he expected on arriving to keep his passion on its legs, Heaven only knows!

From Project Gutenberg

Aylward, you are a trusty soldier, for all that your shoulder has never felt accolade, nor your heels worn the gold spurs.

From Project Gutenberg

As she looked proudly down at the hand he had honored with a blow as with an accolade she saw by her watch that it was after six.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet on the livery of the countryside the accolade of Frost had wrought a wonder.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• distinction
• kudos