Panegyrised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Formally lauded in an elaborate speech or written tribute that celebrates someone's virtues at length
2. Extolled with grand, lavish praise in a public oration or formal literary composition
3. Commended in a high-flown, eulogistic address delivered or written in honour of a person or deed

Etymology: "Panegyrised" is the past tense and past participle of "panegyrise," the British spelling of "panegyrize," meaning to praise someone or something in a formal speech or writing. The verb is built on the Greek "panēgyris," a general assembly or festival, formed from "pan" (all) and "agyris" (an assembly, from "agora," a gathering place). In ancient Greece, a panegyris was a festival that drew the whole community together, and speeches praising the occasion or its heroes were a central part of the event. Over time the sense narrowed from the festive gathering to the speech itself. Writers of the Greek and Roman world produced "panegyrics," elaborate orations in honour of rulers or public figures, and the English verb followed this path, coming to mean lavish public praise rather than the celebration that originally called for it. The past tense "panegyrised" simply marks an action of praising that has already happened, as in "the emperor was panegyrised by court poets."

Synonyms: praised, extolled, lauded, eulogised, acclaimed

Antonyms: criticised, denigrated, condemned