ovation

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ovātiō (“a lesser triumph, rejoicing”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} perhaps also through French ovation,^[7][6] which is recorded from 1520 for the Roman ceremony.^[2] The Latin noun is formed on the past participle stem of ovō (“to exult, rejoice; to celebrate an ovation”).^[2][3][8] The verb is probably imitative of a shout of joy:^[7][9] Klein and Merriam-Webster compare Ancient Greek εὐάζω (euázō, “to utter cries of joy”),^[5][8][7] literally to cry εὖα (eûa) in honour of Bacchus,^[5] and Hoad and Partridge suggest the Bacchic cry as the source.^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

In ancient Rome, a victory procession into the city less splendid than a full triumph: 1533, in J. Bellenden's translation of Livy.^[2][6][8]

Semantic evolution

The Roman ovation was granted to a commander whose victory, such as one over a weak enemy won with little bloodshed, did not earn him a full triumph;^[7][12] Johnson (1755) knew only this sense.^[12] From 1649 to the early 19th century the word also meant exultation in general.^[2][13][10] The modern sense, an enthusiastic reception by a crowd, especially long applause, is recorded from 1785,^[2] although Etymonline dates it only from 1831 and Hoad to the 19th century.^[7][10] French took the same step in 1767, and Italian before 1590.^[2] A verb ovation, to give someone an ovation, appeared in 1894.^[2][8] An unrelated ovation, the laying of eggs, from the Latin for "egg", was used from 1656 to 1825.^[2]

Timeline

• 1533 – a Roman lesser triumph.^[2][6][8]
• 1649 – exultation (obsolete by 1887).^[2]
• 1785 – an enthusiastic reception, a burst of applause.^[2] Etymonline dates the sense to 1831.^[7]
• 1894 – verb, to give an ovation to.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A long, enthusiastic burst of applause or cheering from an audience or crowd: The cast received a standing ovation on the opening night.^[14][8][2]
2. (Roman history) A victory procession into Rome, less grand than a triumph, granted to a general for a lesser victory.^[14][8][2]
3. (obsolete) Exultation.^[2][8][4]

Word family

• ovational

Related words

• ovant
• triumph

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
12. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
13. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
14. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins