What is the Latin word for praise?

The usual Latin words for “praise” are laus, laudātiō, praedicātiō; also assequor, comparō, laudō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“praise” in Latin

lauspraise, glory, repute; fame; approbation, commendation laudātiōcommendation, praise; eulogy, panegyric praedicātiōpublic proclamation or publication; praise, commendation; prediction, prophecy assequorto follow someone in order to come up to him; pursue, go after; to overtake, come up with, reach, catch up; to gain, obt comparōto prepare, get ready, provide, furnish; to compare, match, place together, couple, form into pairs laudōto praise, laud, extol; to commend, honor; to eulogize collaudōto praise or extol highly; to commend dīlaudōto praise in all respects, praise highly

The English word praise itself goes back to Latin pretium, through pretiō.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

praise s.

laus (subjectively and objectively, the thing): laudatio (a panegyric, subjunctively and objectively, the action or the thing): praedicatio (an extolling loudly or publicly). To gain praise, laudem consequi, assequi; laudem sibi parere, comparare; (by anything) laudem habere de or ex re: to have paise, laudem habere; in laude esse; laudari: to have great paise, laudibus efferri; laude celebrari: to have general paise, ab omnibus laudari: to give paise to anyone, alicui laudem tribuere; alicui laudem or aliquem laude impertire (Vid: Zumpt, § 418): aliquem laude afficere: to confer distinguished paise on anyone, aliquem laudibus ornare, illustrare, (of several) celebrare; aliquem eximia laude ornare, decorare: to strive or endeavor after paise, laudem quaerere, petere: laudis studio trahi: to reckon as a paise to anyone, alicui aliquid laudi ducere or dare; aliquid in laude ponere: to be to the paise of anyone, alicui laudi esse: to diminish, detract from the paise of anyone, laudem alicujus imminuere, obterere, verbis extenuare: to deprive any one of due paise, aliquem debita laude fraudare; laudem alicui destinatam praeripere (by appropriating it to one’s self): paise be to God! *Deo laudes et grates agantur: *sit laus Deo.

praise v.

laudare (general term): laudem alicui tribuere: laudem alicui impertire or laude aliquem impertire (Vid: Zumpt, § 418): laude aliquem afficere (to give praise): collaudare (to paise greatly, together with others): dilaudare (to paise immoderately): praedicare aliquem or de aliquo (to extol, paise loudly and publicly). To paise one’s self, se ipsum laudare; de se ipsum praedicare: to paise anyone to his face, aliquem coram in os laudare (Ter., Ad., 2, 4, 5): to paise one very much, valde, vehementer laudare; laudibus ornare, illustrare, efferre; laudibus celebrare (of several): collaudare, dilaudare (Vid: above): plena, manu alicujus laudes in astra tollere; pleniore ore or utroque pollice laudare; eximia laude ornare, decorare; divinis laudibus exornare; miris laudibus praedicare: to paise excessively, nimis laudare; in majus extollere: to paise anything more than it deserves, supra meritum aliquid circumferre praedicatione: not to be able to paise anyone enough, aliquem non satis pro dignitate laudare posse: not to like to hear other men praised, alienas laudes parum acquis auribus accipere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for praise?: The usual Latin words for “praise” are laus, laudātiō, praedicātiō; also assequor, comparō, laudō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.