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panegyrist

panegyrist

9.9
A person who praises someone in a public speech
  • noun
  • /ˌpænəˈɡɪrɪst/
  • Formal
translation icon : panegirista
  • The panegyrist highlighted the achievements of the charity in his speech at the annual gala.

Examples

  • The panegyrist delivered a heartfelt tribute to the mayor during the awards ceremony.

  • In this vein, MacCormack, without argument, dismisses as "misleading" the only explicit statement by a panegyrist about how serious his work was: Saint Augustine's rueful reflection that his speech praising the emperor was a tissue of lies, and known by his audience to be such.

    Academic text (1997)
  • At the funeral, a well-known panegyrist spoke eloquently about the deceased's accomplishments.

Synonyms

eulogist
vspanegyrist
1 8.1

A person who gives a speech praising someone who has died

is used for formal public praise across occasions not only funerals
eulogizer
vspanegyrist
  • US
8.2

A person who gives a speech praising someone at a funeral

is broader and used in formal public settings beyond funerals

How Laudatory

panegyrist
  • Formal
9.9
eulogist
1 8.1
orator
  • Formal
17 6.8
speaker
478 2.1

Surface Forms

panegyrist singular
panegyrists plural

Morphology

panegyrist = panegyric (opaque) = panegyr + ist

The base word 'panegyric' is itself rare and not morphologically transparent, making the derivation to 'panegyrist' opaque.

Etymology

Panegyrist comes from Greek parts: pan- ('all') and a word for 'gathering', so it originally meant someone who gave praise at a public meeting; think of a speaker praising a leader in front of everyone. Panegyric, a formal speech of praise, is the same root, which is why a panegyrist today is a person who delivers high praise or eulogies.