Honor and recognition for achievement, often used in the phrase 'rest on one's laurels' meaning to become complacent after success. Originally refers to wreaths made from laurel leaves given to victors.
From Latin laurus meaning 'laurel tree'. In ancient Greece and Rome, wreaths of laurel leaves crowned victorious athletes, military commanders, and poets. The bay laurel was sacred to Apollo, god of poetry and prophecy.
The phrase 'poet laureate' literally means 'crowned with laurels' - a tradition dating back to ancient Rome where poets were honored with laurel wreaths. Even today, Nobel Prize winners are said to be 'crowned with laurels' metaphorically.
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