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
Derived 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.
The experience of college-level science courses, the completion of baccalaureate or more advanced degrees, and the development of civic scientific literacy were strong predictors of increased acceptance of evolution.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
I had an elite Ivy League journalism degree and he held a baccalaureate in journalism from Cal State Long Beach and, before joining The Times, had been running a silk-screening business.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2024
Students taking a baccalaureate study a wider range of subjects than for A-levels.
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2023
So what is a baccalaureate and what could a British version look like?
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2023
Professor Jabavu had been awarded a baccalaureate in English at the University of London, which seemed an impossibly rare feat.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
