Over the Christmas holidays, two different authors mentioned the accolades who accompanied their heroes . . . and I did not think they meant molding, arches, awards, or praise.
It’s all well and good to use “big” words, but please, writers, be sure you understand the meaning of the word if it’s not a word you have used before.
It’s one thing to award one’s acolytes with accolades, but no one will award your book with accolades if it’s full of confusion.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Accolade | Acolyte |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: accolades |
Noun
Plural: acolytes |
An award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit
A light touch on the shoulder with the flat side of the sword or formerly by an embrace, done in the ceremony of conferring knighthood
Any award, honor, or laudatory notice [Music] A brace joining several staves [Architecture] An archivolt or hood molding having more or less the form of an ogee arch [Architecture] A decoration having more or less the form of an ogee arch, cut into a lintel or flat arch |
A person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession
[Roman Catholic Church] A member of the highest-ranking of the four minor orders
|
| Examples: | |
| It was the ultimate official accolade of a visit by the president.
The play received accolades from the press. He now becomes the thirteenth Frenchman to get the accolade, the first since 1985. As of now, the Farmont is the only hotel that can boast this accolade. The accolade can be seen as social recognition of the qualities and skills of manhood that the person already possesses. |
Her? That’s Professor Eckhart “dining with her acolytes”.
Conners is a highly influential economist whose acolytes can be found at many major think tanks. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: accoladed | |
| History of the Word: | |
| Early 17th century from the French and from the Provençal acolada, literally meaning embrace around the neck (when bestowing knighthood); from the Latin ad- (at or to) + collum (neck). | Middle English from the Old French acolyt or the ecclesiastical Latin acolytus, which is from the Greek akolouthos meaning follower. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Accolade versus Acolyte
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: accolade
Pinterest Photo Credits
Copa El País is by an unknown author and The Acolyte is by Abraham Solomon (1824-1862). Both are in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 14 August 2017
By: Kathy Davie