Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Praise \Praise\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Praised}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Praising}.] [OE. preisen, OF. preisier, prisier, F. priser,
L. pretiare to prize, fr. pretium price. See {Price}, n., and
cf. {Appreciate}, {Praise}, n., {Prize}, v.]
1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to
laud; -- applied to a person or his acts. ``I praise well
thy wit.'' --Chaucer.
Let her own works praise her in the gates. --Prov.
xxxi. 31.
We praise not Hector, though his name, we know, Is
great in arms; 't is hard to praise a foe. --Dryden.
2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on
account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to;
to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the
Divine Being.
Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all
his hosts! --Ps. cxlviii.
2.
3. To value; to appraise. [Obs.] --Piers Plowman.
Syn: To commend; laud; eulogize; celebrate; glorify; magnify.
Usage: To {Praise}, {Applaud}, {Extol}. To praise is to set
at high price; to applaud is to greet with clapping;
to extol is to bear aloft, to exalt. We may praise in
the exercise of calm judgment; we usually applaud from
impulse, and on account of some specific act; we extol
under the influence of high admiration, and usually in
strong, if not extravagant, language.
Praise \Praise\, n. [OE. preis, OF. preis price, worth, value,
estimation. See {Praise}, v., {Price}.]
1. Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered
because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation.
There are men who always confound the praise of
goodness with the practice. --Rambler.
Note: Praise may be expressed by an individual, and thus
differs from fame, renown, and celebrity, which are
always the expression of the approbation of numbers, or
public commendation.
2. Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage
rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or
extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by
song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship;
as, a service of praise.
3. The object, ground, or reason of praise.
He is thy praise, and he is thy God. --Deut. x.??.
Syn: Encomium; honor; eulogy; panegyric; plaudit; applause;
acclaim; eclat; commendation; laudation.
Source : WordNet®
praise
n 1: an expression of approval and commendation; "he always
appreciated praise for his work" [syn: {congratulations},
{kudos}]
2: offering words of homage as an act of worship; "they sang a
hymn of praise to God"
v : express approval of; "The parents praised their children for
their academic performance" [ant: {knock}]