encomium

English

WOTD – 26 February 2009    

Etymology

From Latin encōmium (“praise, eulogy”), from Ancient Greek ἐγκώμιον (enkōmion, “laudatory ode, praise”), from ἐγκώμιος (enkōmios, “of or pertaining to the victor”), from κῶμος (kōmos, “festival, revel, ode”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɛŋˈkəʊ.mɪ.əm/
• (US) IPA: /ɛnˈkoʊ.mɪ.əm/, /ɪnˈkoʊ.mɪ.əm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

encomium (plural encomiums or encomia)

1. Warm praise, especially a formal expression of such praise; a tribute.
   • 1763, Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz, History of Louisiana (1763 tr. of L'Histoire de la Louisiane, 1758) (PG), p. 39

     I rejoined our people, and expected a reprimand for having forced the enemy without orders; though I had my excuse ready. But here I was mistaken; for I met with nothing but encomiums. —

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter X:

     I am, you will agree, mature, and in my earlier days I won no little praise for my skill at hunt-the-slipper. I remember one of the hostesses whose Christmas parties I attended comparing me to a juvenile bloodhound. An extravagant encomium, of course, but that is what she said.

2. (rhetoric) A general category of oratory.
3. (rhetoric) A method within rhetorical pedagogy.
4. The eighth exercise in the progymnasmata series.
5. (literature) A genre of literature that included five elements: prologue, birth and upbringing, acts of the person's life, comparisons used to praise the subject, and an epilogue.

Translations

tribute

• Bulgarian: възхвала (bg) (vǎzhvala) f
• Czech: chvalořečení (cs) n, chvalozpěv (cs) m
• Finnish: kunnianosoitus (fi), ylistys (fi)

• Greek: εγκώμιο (el) (egkómio) n
• Russian: панегирик (ru) (panegírik) m, восхваление (ru) (vosxvalénije) n
• Spanish: encomio (es) m

category of oratory

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 赞美 (cmn)

• Finnish: ylistyspuhe (fi), encomium (fi)

• Greek: εγκώμιο (el) (egkómio) n
• Russian: восхваление (ru) (vosxvalénije) n

Anagrams

• meconium

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑ̃.kɔ.mjɔm/

Noun

encomium m (plural encomiums)

1. An Ancient Greek literary genre of praise.
2. (obsolete) Dictionary.

Synonyms

• dictionnaire

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Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐγκώμιον (enkōmion, “laudatory ode, praise”).

Noun

encōmium (genitive encōmiī); n, second declension

1. Praise, eulogy.

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	encōmium	encōmia
genitive	encōmiī	encōmiōrum
dative	encōmiō	encōmiīs
accusative	encōmium	encōmia
ablative	encōmiō	encōmiīs
vocative	encōmium	encōmia

Related terms

• encōmiographus

Descendants

• English: encomium