laureate
laureate n. 桂冠诗人 这个词是从拉丁语laurea(月桂)转化而来。它是英国王室官员之一，其职责以前主要是在国王寿辰之日、新年，有时也在庆祝战争重大胜利之时谱写颂诗以表庆贺。这种在国王寿辰谱写颂诗的做法至乔治三世〔George Ⅲ〕统治结束后便不再继续了。该头衔得名于古典时期或中世纪那些最优秀的诗人往往被授予桂枝〔laurel〕的做法。直至今日，某些学院在授予硕士学位时仍采用这种佩戴桂冠的做法。
LAUREATE
laureate
laureate (lor-ee-it), n. 1. Hist. An officer of the sovereign’s household, who composed odes annually on the sovereign’s birthday, on the new year, and occasionally on the occurrence of a remarkable victory. 2. A person honored for great achievement in the arts and sciences, and esp. in poetry.