extol
Definitions
To praise something or someone highly and enthusiastically
热情赞扬，颂扬，盛赞
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedex- (up, out) + tol (from Latin tollere, 'to lift') = 'to lift on high.' This is the 'lift' branch of the root, not the 'endure' branch. When you raise something up where everyone can see it, you are showing it off — so extol means to praise highly.
Root tol still carries 5 more wordsWhy It Means This
extol is the surprising outlier of the tol family. While tolerate, tolerance, and tolerant all come from tolerāre ('to endure'), extol comes from its sibling tollere ('to lift up') — ex- + tollere = extollere, 'to lift on high.' To extol is to hold something up where all can admire it. That is why it feels so distant from 'tolerate': one branch keeps the burden down (enduring), the other lifts it overhead (praising), yet both grow from the same root image of bearing weight.
Usage Guide
Formal and somewhat literary; you meet it in writing and speeches more than casual talk. Almost always takes an object you are praising: extol the virtues of, extol the benefits of, extol someone's achievements. There is a fixed phrase 'extol the virtues of X' — to enthusiastically list how good X is.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Critics extol the film as one of the finest of the decade.
- 2.
The brochure extols the virtues of small-town living.
- 3.
She is forever extolling the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Synonym Comparison
- extol — praise highly and formally, often listing virtues
- praise — the everyday general word
- laud — formal, public praise (often passive: was lauded for)
- glorify — praise so highly it may exaggerate or idealize
- commend — formal approval, often for a specific act