kudos English · revision 2433

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈkjuːdɒs/ ''(UK)''; /ˈkuˌdoʊz/, /ˈkuˌdoʊs/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|grc|κῦδος|tr=kûdos|t=glory, fame]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) a poetic word found mainly in Homer.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Glory, fame, renown (1831; implied by 1799 in Southey's ''kudos'd'' “praised”).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was probably university slang at first,^(Etymonline) and remained largely academic until journalists, especially headline writers, took it up in the 1920s.^(RHWU) In Greek and early English the word was singular, but its final ''-s'' led many to treat it as a plural, and a back-formed singular ''kudo'' appears by 1936–1941.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The meaning has shifted from fame to praise for an achievement.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1799 – ''kudos'd'', praised.^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1831 – glory, renown.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1920s – widely used in journalism.^(RHWU)

+ * 1936–1941 – back-formed singular ''kudo''.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Praise or acclaim for an achievement.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Fame or prestige resulting from an achievement.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The American Heritage Dictionary treats ''kudos'' as singular (''kudos is due''), and regards the singular ''kudo'' as not yet established.^(AHD) Random House notes that the plural use is common, especially in American English, though many authorities consider it wrong.^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}