Belauds

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To offer enthusiastic and high praise for an individual or entity
2. To express strong approval and commendation for someone or something
3. To speak with admiration and acclaim regarding a person or subject

Etymology: "Belauds" is the third-person singular present form of "belaud," a verb meaning to praise enthusiastically and at length. The verb is built from the intensive prefix "be-," which in older English often gave a verb the sense of thoroughly or repeatedly doing something, attached to "laud," the familiar word for praise. So "belaud" is essentially "laud" with extra emphasis, a praise that is lavish rather than merely polite. "Laud" itself comes from Latin "laus," meaning praise, and reached English through Old French. Its plural form, "lauds," still survives in the church term for the morning prayer service, which shows how closely praise and worship were once tied together in the word's history.

Synonyms: praises, extols, lauds, commends, celebrates

Antonyms: criticizes, denounces, condemns, disparages, belittles