summa cum laude

[ soom-uh koom -lou-dey, -duh, -dee; suhm-uh kuhm -law-dee ]

/ ˈsʊm ə kʊm ˈlaʊ deɪ, -də, -di; ˈsʌm ə kʌm ˈlɔ di /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for summa cum laude on Thesaurus.com

adverb

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

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Compare cum laude, magna cum laude.

Origin of summa cum laude

First recorded in 1895–1900, summa cum laude is from Latin summā cum laude

Words nearby summa cum laude

Sumgait, sumi, sumi-e, summa, summable, summa cum laude, summand, summarily, summarize, summary, summary court-martial

How to use summa cum laude in a sentence

Trotter graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and became the first black man named to Phi Beta Kappa.
The Fight to Ban ‘Birth of a Nation’|Jack Schwartz|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She graduated from her undergraduate program magna cum laude.
TEDx Talks Have a Disability Problem—but This Incredible Young Woman Is Working to Change That|Nina Strochlic|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The art studio-cum-propaganda factory is taking international orders.
North Korea’s Art Factory Has an International Fan Base||August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After discovering a trove of unknown photographs at an auction, John Maloof set about exposing the nanny-cum-artist who took them.
Vivian Maier: Still Missing|Malcolm Jones|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And at the center of it all: a striking blond cheerleader-cum-schoolteacher.
Did Sexpot Schoolteacher Pamela Smart Hire Teens to Kill Her Husband?|Marlow Stern|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Baptismum accipiebant velut sacrum aliquod signum similitudinis & confœderationis cum Gallis.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Habet Rimbegui ostia sua sub gradu quadragesimo tertio cum besse.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
In hoc Isthmo portus regalis est, vbi nunc degimus, ad gradum latitudinis quadragesimum quartum cum besse.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Reliqui quatuor in firmam iam videntur cum ijs amicitiam & csuetudinem coaluisse.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Mortuorum ita cum corpore sepeliunt memoriam, vt ne nomen quidem deinceps audire sustineant.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for summa cum laude

summa cum laude

/ (ˈsʊmɑː kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ) /

adverb, adjective

mainly US with the utmost praise: the highest of three designations for above-average achievement in examinations. In Britain it is sometimes used to designate a first-class honours degreeCompare cum laude, magna cum laude

Word Origin for summa cum laude

from 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