ku•dos^*ˈku doʊz, -doʊs, -dɒs, ˈkyu-(n.)

1. honor; glory; acclaim.

   Category: Usage Note

^* (used with a sing. v.). Usage: kudos entered English in the 19th century as a singular noun, a transliteration of a Greek singular noun meaning “praise or renown.” Used largely in university circles, it became popular among journalists in the 1920s, esp. for headlines: Playwright receives kudos. Because such contexts often do not reveal whether the term is singular or plural, and because the word ends in -s, the usual marker of the English plural, kudos eventually came to be treated as a plural meaning “accolades.” The singular form kudo has been produced from this supposed plural by back formation and has developed the meaning “a statement of praise, accolade.” Usage guides generally advise against using kudo (with plural kudos ), and sometimes even reject the singular word kudos . However, singular kudo and plural kudos are standard in all types of speech and writing.

Origin of kudos:

1825–35; < Gk kŷdos

ku•dosˈku doʊz, ˈkyu-(n.)

1. Category: Common Vocabulary

   Ref: pl. of kudo