laureate

[lawr-ee-it, lor-] /ˈlɔr i ɪt, ˈlɒr-/
noun
1.
a person who has been honored for achieving distinction in a particular field or with a particular award:
a Nobel laureate.
2.
poet laureate.
adjective
3.
deserving or having special recognition for achievement, as for poetry (often used immediately after the noun that is modified):
poet laureate; conjurer laureate.
4.
having special distinction or recognition in a field:
the laureate men of science.
5.
crowned or decked with laurel as a mark of honor.
6.
consisting of or resembling laurel, as a wreath or crown.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English; < Latin laureātus crowned with laurel, equivalent to laure(us) of laurel (laur(us) bay tree + -eus -eous) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
laureateship, noun
British Dictionary definitions for laureate

laureate

/ˈlɔːrɪɪt/
adjective (usually immediately postpositive)
1.
(literary) crowned with laurel leaves as a sign of honour
2.
(archaic) made of laurel
noun
3.
short for poet laureate
4.
a person honoured with an award for art or science: a Nobel laureate
5.
(rare) a person honoured with the laurel crown or wreath
Derived Forms
laureateship, noun
laureation (ˌlɔːrɪˈeɪʃən) noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin laureātus, from laurealaurel
Word Origin and History for laureate
adj.

late 14c., from Latin laureatus "crowned with laurels," from laurea "laurel crown" (emblematic of victory or distinction in poetry), from fem. of laureus "of laurel," from laurus "laurel." Laureat poete first found in "Canterbury Tales" (form with the noun before the adjective, in imitation of Latin word order, is from c.1400 in English); the first official one was probably Ben Jonson (1638), though the first recorded one was Dryden (1668). Extended to Nobel prize winners, 1947. As a noun, 1520s, from the adjective. Related: Laureateship.