A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 21198, 26 September 1930, Page 8

A WORD A DAY.

ENCOMIUM. We use this word to . express ' “warm praise, enthusiastic commendation.” And remembering the philosopher’s hint that to rejoice in another’s success is to partake of it, it is well that this encouraging word is returning to popular favour. The Greek egkomion, from which our word is derived, was used to indicate a song chanted in a Bacchic -festival in praise of the deity, a laudatory ode. This form was compounded of eg—for en — "in,” and komos “revelry.” The note of revelry, however, has yielded to one of admiration and praise in our usage; there is also something spontaneous about it, and, incidentally, “encomium” may be applied either to persons or things. “Eulogy” implies a somewhat higher praise, but in a more studied form, and it is used of persons much more than of things. “Panegyric” indicates an elaborate’ public eulogy, frequently extravagant or high-flown. En-co-mi-um is accented on the second syllable; sound e as‘ in end, c as k, o as in old, i as in it, u as in circus.

“His encomiums,” wrote Irving, “awakened all my ardor.”