# encomium

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɛŋˈkəʊ.mɪ.əm/

## Definitions
1. Warm praise, especially a formal expression of such praise; a tribute.
2. A general category of oratory.
3. A method within rhetorical pedagogy.
4. The eighth exercise in the progymnasmata series.
5. A genre of literature that included five elements: prologue, birth and upbringing, acts of the person's life, comparisons used to praise the subject, and an epilogue.

## Etymology
From Latin encōmium (“praise, eulogy”), from Ancient Greek ἐγκώμιον (enkṓmion, “laudatory ode, praise”), from ἐγκώμιος (enkṓmios, “of or pertaining to the victor”), from κῶμος (kômos, “festival, revel, ode”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/encomium