For those who are not familiar with Kudos, it is usually used to express appreciation or praise. In a workplace, it is often used as a synonym for congratulations in response to a job well done. While Kudos is currently used in ma (View Highlight)
The origin of Kudos is still debated, though the word almost certainly has its origin in Ancient Greece. There are several references to “κῦδος” throughout Greek literature and history that refer to accomplishments. It can be found in works such as Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey. For instance, it is referenced in the following line from The Odyssey: “May the gods give you glory [κῦδος].” (View Highlight)
Another reference to “κῦδος” in Greek history is attributed to Pindar, which was an ancient Greek poet that wrote odes for athletes. He said the following in one of his poems: “κῦδος κλέος ἄφθιτον.” This means “glory is imperishable” or glory lives forever. (View Highlight)
The earliest English use of Kudos was in 1799, as University slang. I can imagine it being used by University students who had studied the Odyssey and wanted to bring just a little bit of that magic glory into their everyday mundane lives. When your classmate turns in a fantastic group presentation, you could just say “congratulations!” or “that was great”. Saying ‘Kudos!’ was risky, on the edge, and brought you with one simple five-letter word, into the epic tradition of Ulysses and the heroes of old. You could almost hear the cries of ancient Greek battles and hear the songs of their minstrels bringing an accolade. 30 years later, in 1831, the slang word found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary as a way to mark exceptional achievement. (View Highlight)
It wasn’t till much later, the 1920s and 30s, in fact, that it entered American English vocabulary and wider currency, popularized by the magazine Time and its writer Henry Luce. Luce, incidentally, also gave us the word tycoon Today it is used everywhere, from journalistic writing to twitter. (View Highlight)
While the origin of Kudos is fairly certain, there are some interesting ideas floating about fon where it may have originated.
One idea is that it comes from the Old English word “cyth”, which means “renown”. This origin would fit with the Greek origin because both words ultimately stem from the Indo-European root *keud-, which also gave rise to the English word “hide”. (View Highlight)
