Panegyrise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To deliver a formal speech or piece of writing that lavishly praises a person, institution or achievement
2. To extol someone or something in elaborate, high-flown terms, often in a public and ceremonial manner
3. To celebrate and commend a figure or cause with grand, sweeping praise in a solemn or eloquent way

Etymology: "Panegyrise" is the British spelling of "panegyrize," a verb meaning to praise someone or something at length and in public. The word is built from Greek roots: "pan," meaning "all" or "whole," and "agyris," an assembly or gathering, so a panegyris was a festival where a whole people came together. Speeches of praise were a staple of such gatherings, and the Greek "panegyrikos" came to name a formal speech of praise delivered on such an occasion. The verb grew from that noun. Once English had borrowed the idea of the formal praise speech, a verb was formed to describe the act of delivering one, so to panegyrise is to do what a festival orator did: heap praise on a person before an audience. The "-ise" ending is the British form of the "-ize" suffix, which entered English through Greek and Latin and was widely used to turn nouns into verbs.

Synonyms: extol, laud, eulogize, glorify, celebrate

Antonyms: disparage, criticize, denounce, condemn