encomium

American  

[en-koh-mee-uhm] / ɛnˈkoʊ mi əm /

noun

plural

encomiums, encomia

1. a formal expression of high praise; eulogy.

   An encomium by the president greeted the returning hero.

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encomium British  

/ ɛnˈkəʊmɪəm /

noun

1. a formal expression of praise; eulogy; panegyric

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Etymology

Origin of encomium

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin, from Greek enkṓmion, equivalent to en- en- ² + kôm(os) “a revel” + -ion noun suffix

Explanation

An encomium is a fancy word for a formal speech or piece of writing that warmly praises someone or something. Encomium comes from the Greek word enkomion which, in a nutshell, is to honor someone or something at a party in a poetic speech. It used to refer to the song for the winner of the Olympic Games, sung at a victory celebration. You might hear an encomium at a retirement party, after you publish a fabulous book, or even at a funeral (a eulogy, or speech at a funeral about the person who died, is a kind of encomium). It's pronounced with a long O, en-CO-mium.

Example Sentences

Still, there is something uncomfortably obsequious throughout this encomium to Thomas, who sits in review of Thapar’s own rulings.

From Slate • Jul. 25, 2023

As the priest assured their families that the quartet's loss was not in vain, the choir chanted the encomium "Memory Eternal" in Ukrainian.

From Reuters • Mar. 15, 2022

The result is both an encomium and an acknowledgment of music’s progress since the days of Xenakis.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2022

I’m as guilty as anyone of having blithely used that exaggerated encomium in composing year-end lists in the past.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2021

It may be that we are to be content with very limited results, and with the encomium bestowed on the woman in the Gospel, “She hath done what she could.”

From The Expositor's Bible: The First Book of Samuel by Blaikie, William Garden