laureate

1 of 3

noun

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science

a Nobel laureate

specifically : poet laureate

laureateship

ˈlȯr-ē-ət-ˌship 

ˈlär-

noun

laureate

2 of 3

verb

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 

ˈlär-

laureated; laureating

transitive verb

1

: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement

2

: to appoint to the office of poet laureate

laureation

ˌlȯr-ē-ˈā-shən 

ˌlär-

noun

laureate

3 of 3

adjective

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

1

: honored for outstanding achievement in an art or science

This was a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate chemist Irving Langmuir …

—Gary Taubes

see also poet laureate

2

: crowned with laurel

Minted in France in 1807, the front of the medal shows the laureate head of Emperor Napoleon and, on the reverse, an eagle clutching a thunderbolt, part of the emperor's imperial seal.

—Brice Stump

Examples of laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Prior to its discovery by the laureates Victor Ambros of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester and Gary Ruvkun of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, scientists had an incomplete understanding of the process that controls how cells make proteins. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is now in a similarly precarious position, as her health deteriorates within the confines of Iran’s notorious prison system. —Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

For those on the frontlines of the fight against global food insecurity— World Food Prize laureates— this is more than just a minor oversight. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

The works have also been rarely seen by anyone one than campus staff, visitors, and leading scientists, among them 26 Nobel laureates in medicine and chemistry. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, crowned with laurel as a distinction, from Latin laureatus, from laurea laurel wreath, from feminine of laureus of laurel, from laurus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing laureate

• poet laureate

Kids Definition

laureate

noun

lau·​re·​ate

ˈlȯr-ē-ət,

ˈlär-

: a person honored for achievement in an art or science

especially : poet laureate

laureate adjective