Word of the Day : February 18, 2018

panegyric \pan-uh-JEER-ik\ noun

Definition

: a eulogistic oration or writing; also : formal or elaborate praise

Did You Know?

On certain fixed dates throughout the year, the ancient Greeks would come together for religious meetings. Such gatherings could range from hometown affairs to great national assemblies, but large or small, the meeting was called a panēgyris. That name comes from pan, meaning "all," and agyris, meaning "assembly." At those assemblies, speakers provided the main entertainment, and they delivered glowing orations extolling the praises of present civic leaders and reliving the past glories of Greek cities. To the Greeks, those laudatory speeches were panēgyrikos, which means "of or for a panēgyris." Latin speakers ultimately transformed panēgyrikos into the noun panegyricus, and English speakers adapted that Latin term to form panegyric.

Learn a new word every day, delivered to your inbox!

Test Your Vocabulary



  Namesakes Word Quiz






    Which of the following is a fruit named after a Moroccan seaport?




                                  orange
                                  clementine
                                  nectarine
                                  tangerine







    Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
    TAKE THE QUIZ





    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
    TAKE THE QUIZ

Aired February 18, 2018

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com