baccalaureate
Americannoun
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a religious service held at an educational institution, usually on the Sunday before commencement day.
noun
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the university degree of Bachelor or Arts, Bachelor of Science, etc
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an internationally recognized programme of study, comprising different subjects, offered as an alternative to a course of A levels in Britain
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a farewell sermon delivered at the commencement ceremonies in many colleges and universities
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of baccalaureate
1615–25; < Medieval Latin baccalaureātus, equivalent to baccalaure ( us ) advanced student, bachelor (for baccalārius ( see bachelor), alteration by association with Latin phrase bacca laureus laurel berry) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
The noun baccalaureate means the same thing as a bachelor's degree from college. It can also refer to a "baccalaureate service," which is a like a farewell ceremony for graduating seniors from high school or college. You can “receive a baccalaureate” or you can “attend a baccalaureate.” If you receive a baccalaureate that means you have received a bachelor's degree for undergraduate studies in college. When you attend a baccalaureate, that means you are attending a ceremony celebrating graduating seniors. Traditionally, a baccalaureate was a religious service held the Sunday before graduation, but in modern times it doesn’t necessarily have a religious meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing baccalaureate
Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
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Warriors Don't Cry
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Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 1
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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.
A strike could lead to cuts in athletics, career services and the district’s International Baccalaureate program, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
He lives in La Crescenta, having moved from an Eagle Rock apartment years ago, but attends the school as part of the International Baccalaureate programs.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2024
In what the school called “exceptional cases” when applicants are unable to access SAT or ACT testing, other eligible tests will be accepted, including Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024
While it will require standardized tests, Yale said its policy would be “test flexible,” permitting students to submit scores from subject-based Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in lieu of SAT or ACT scores.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2024
Indeed, she was quite cross, and scornful, about the crowning glory being denied her, of going with me to the Baccalaureate Address the morning I received my degree.
From The Cords of Vanity A Comedy of Shirking by Cabell, James Branch
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.
