belaud

/bɪˈlɔːd/

Etymology

From be- + laud.

belaud means to load with praise; praise greatly; extol. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

BELAUD — [Verb] To praise or extol, often to an excessive or fulsome degree. Formed within English from the prefix be- (used to intensify the action) + the verb laud (from Latin laudare, "to praise"). Unlike “commend,” which suggests a measured, often official approval, or “extol,” which implies a lofty and justifiable admiration, to belaud is to heap praise until the subject is nearly buried beneath it. It is the sycophant’s third glass of champagne raised in a toast, the dust-jacket blurb that uses “genius” twice, or the public introduction that lingers on virtues both real and invented—a performance where the praise itself becomes the point, and admiration curdles into theater.

verb

To load with praise; praise greatly; extol.“Not, I am bound to say, that Lindsay was belauding his own prowess. But, what was worse, he appeared a centre of enormous interest to the men around him.”