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valedictorian

noun
/ˌvæl.əd.ɪkˈtɔɹ.ɪən/UK/ˌvæl.ə.dɪkˈtoɹ.i.ən/US

Etymology

Formed 1759, from valedictory (“of a speech made when leaving”) + -an.

  1. derived from *deyḱ-✻ — “to point out”
  2. derived from *h₂welh₁-✻ — “powerful, strong; to rule”
  3. derived from valedictum
  4. formed as valedictorian — “valedictory + -an”

Definitions

  1. The individual in a graduating class who delivers the farewell or valedictory address,…

    The individual in a graduating class who delivers the farewell or valedictory address, often the person who graduates with the highest grades.

    • Our oldest son was valedictorian of his high school class and went to a top university. But right about this time two years ago, our second son told us he wasn’t interested in college.

  2. The individual in a graduating class who graduates with the highest grades.

    • A social media firestorm erupted last week after two Texas high school valedictorians revealed that they were undocumented immigrants heading to well-respected U.S. colleges with financial aid.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for valedictorian. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA