What does accolade mean?
Word: Accolade
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Accolade means praise or an award given to someone for doing something very well.
Synonyms: honour, tribute
Word origin: From French, and it goes back to Latin collum.
How do you spell accolade?
Syllables: ac - co - lade
Tricky part: The middle is the trap. Students feel a double letter is due there and write accollade, but the l stands on its own.
Watch out for: accollade, accalade
Memory tip: An accolade usually goes to one winner, so give it one l.
Accolade in a sentence
Example 1: The young chess player received many accolades after winning the state title.
Example 2: The Arjuna Award is a great accolade for any Indian athlete.
Example 3: Mrs Das said her pupils' letters were the finest accolade of her teaching life.
Fun Fact
In medieval times an accolade was part of the ceremony that made someone a knight. Today a school science prize can be an accolade too.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the word in which the same letter fills both blanks:
a) a_ _olade
b) ha_ _est
c) cu_ _ure
d) fe_ _ival
Show answer
a) a_ _olade. Accolade takes a double letter there; culture, festival and harvest each need two different letters.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
The scientist called the national award the highest accolaid of her long career and thanked her whole team for it.
a) 3
b) 0
c) 2
d) 1
Show answer
d) 1. Only one word is wrong: accolaid should end like the word lemonade.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Accolade goes back to the Latin word collum, which means ___.
a) neck
b) palm
c) crown
d) sleeve
Show answer
a) neck. The word first described an embrace around the neck.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
claodeac
a) a long and tiring walk through hills
b) a small room at the top of a house
c) public recognition for fine work
d) a formal letter asking for a job
Show answer
c) public recognition for fine work. A champion or a fine writer may earn an accolade, which is what these letters spell.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Meera has just received an accolade. Which of these could it be?
a) a trophy for the best young writer
b) a fine for returning a book late
c) a bus ticket to the next town
d) a reminder to pay the school fee
Show answer
a) a trophy for the best young writer
2. If critics heap accolades on a new film, they ___.
a) refuse to watch it
b) find fault with it
c) speak highly of it
d) forget about it
Show answer
c) speak highly of it
