Etymology Map
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Kudos

2 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means praise and honour for an achievement

Where does the word "kudos" come from? It comes from Greek kydos, adopted directly into English (1830s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
kydos
Greek · ancient
"glory"
glory or renown, a word of Homer's epics
2
Stage 2 of 2
kudos
English · 1830s
"praise, prestige"
Oxford and Cambridge students used it as slang; many later mistook it for a plural and invented 'kudo'
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Read the full story

Kudos’s story begins in Greek: kydos meant “glory.” Glory or renown, a word of Homer's epics. It reached English by 1830s as kudos. Oxford and Cambridge students used it as slang; many later mistook it for a plural and invented 'kudo'. Today, kudos means praise and honour for an achievement.