baccalaureate
Americannoun
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baccalaureates
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
"I have students who are sitting the baccalaureate at the end of the year, and several hundred thousand of them haven't attended classes for four or five weeks," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
In 2021, Fresno High School changed its mascot from a warrior to an image of one of its main buildings, Royce Hall, featuring an owl and an international baccalaureate symbol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Around 10,000 of the 130,000 candidates sitting the baccalaureate exam had their oral tests rescheduled this week in France, said Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
But more than a million high school students were to take their oral final exams for the baccalaureate amid the heat.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“None of you will be allowed to attend either the graduation commencement or the baccalaureate service,” Mother Lois announced over dinner.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
As EDSK's Tom Richmond says, baccalaureates can be expensive to run as they are "much more resource intensive" - they include more subjects, an extended essay, and some kind of personal or community service.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2023
As of 2021, some 9,500 students in Washington have graduated from these programs, and the state is seen as a national leader of community college baccalaureates.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
Many of Washington’s other education baccalaureates grew in response to demand from local schools.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
Schools and industry compete for baccalaureates and Ph.D.s Anthony Lucido, 35, had been offered a tenured assistant professorship at the nation's largest engineering school, Texas A.&M.
From Time Magazine Archive
Demand is also high for engineers, particularly in the petroleum industry, which is offering baccalaureates about $1,400 a month to start.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
