panegyric

American  

[pan-i-jir-ik, -jahy-rik] / ˌpæn ɪˈdʒɪr ɪk, -ˈdʒaɪ rɪk /

noun

1. a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy.

   Synonyms:

   encomium, tribute, homage

2. formal or elaborate praise.

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panegyric British  

/ ˌpænɪˈdʒɪrɪk /

noun

1. a formal public commendation; eulogy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• panegyrically
  adverb
• self-panegyric
  adjective
• panegyrical
  adjective
• panegyrist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of panegyric

1590–1600; < Latin, noun use of panēgyricus of, belonging to a public assembly < Greek panēgyrikós, equivalent to panḗgyr ( is ) solemn assembly ( pan- pan- + -ēgyris, combining form of ágyris gathering; cf. category) + -ikos -ic

Explanation

A formal, high-minded speech can be described with a formal, high-minded word — the word panegyric, which is a very elaborate tribute to someone. You could consider most eulogies as panegyrics. It stands to reason that the original use of the word panegyris, from which panegyric derives, was to describe a public gathering in honor of a Greek god. The Latin, L. panegyricus, altered slightly to mean "public eulogy," which around the 16th Century shifted to the French panégyrique, which meant "laudation." In any case, the word today stands for high praise given in a speech or tribute as highfalutin as the word itself sounds.

Example Sentences

My Englishmen thought the Panegyric upon Madame de Maintenon a little too much strain’d.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Sir Henry Wotton, in his Panegyric to King Charles, says of King James I.,—“I will not deny his appetite of glory, which generous minds do ever latest part from.”

From Minor Poems by Milton by Milton, John

Whence Ennodius said, in a Panegyric to Theoderic: Ad limitem suum Romana regna reme�sse.

From Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John by Newton, Isaac, Sir

Panegyric or Eulogy, now, or hereafter, cannot add one cubit to your stature.

From Ex-President John Quincy Adams in Pittsburgh Address of Welcome, by Wilson McCandless, and Mr. Adams Reply; together with a letter from Mr. Adams Relative to Judge Brackenridge's "Modern Chivalry." by Adams, John Quincy

Tacitus hardly shared the enthusiasm and exuberant hopes expressed by his friend Pliny in his Panegyric.

From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Dill, Samuel