cum laude

[koo m lou-dey, -duh, -dee; kuhm law-dee]

adverb

with honor: used in diplomas to grant the lowest of three special honors for grades above the average.

Compare magna cum laude, summa cum laude.

Origin of cum laude

1890–95, Americanism; < Latin: with praise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cum laude

cum laude

adverb

mainly US with praise: the lowest of three designations for above-average achievement in examinationsCompare magna cum laude, summa cum laude

Word Origin for cum laude

Latin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cum laude

1872, originally at Harvard, from Medieval Latin, literally "with praise," from Latin cum "with" + laude, ablative of laus (genitive laudis) "praise" (see laud). Probably from earlier use (in Latin) at Heidelberg and other German universities.