accolade
noun
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What is the origin of accolade?
Give credit where credit is due: it's time to celebrate accolade for its centuries of laudatory service. Accolade joined English in the 16th century from the Middle French noun acolade, which in turn comes from the verb accoler, meaning "to embrace." When it was first borrowed from French, accolade referred to a ceremonial embrace that formally conferred knighthood. The term was later extended to other ceremonial acts conferring knighthood (such as the familiar touching of the shoulders with the flat part of a sword's blade), and then to other ceremonies marking the recognition of a special merit, distinction, or achievement. Today it refers more broadly to an award or expression of praise.
Examples of accolade in a Sentence
Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025
Sporting some of the world’s highest difficulty on floor and beam, 2025 could be the year for Roberson to capture individual accolades.
—Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital has received a new accolade through the efforts of its nursing staff.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
Among his accolades were two Directors Guild of America Awards for directing the Oscars, six Emmy nominations for his direction of the Academy Awards between 1991 and 1996, and Emmy wins for the 1995 Oscars and Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for accolade
Cite this Entry
“Accolade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accolade. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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accolade
noun
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