n.
Pronunciation: ' kü-( ˌ )d ō , ' kyü-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural kudos \ -( ˌ )d ō z \
Etymology: back-formation from kudos (taken as a plural)
Date: 1926
1 : AWARD , HONOR <a score of honorary degrees and ⋯ other kudo s ― Time >
2 : COMPLIMENT , PRAISE <to all three should go some kind of special kudo for refusing to succumb ― Al Hine>
usage Some commentators hold that since kudos is a singular word it cannot be used as a plural and that the word kudo is impossible. But kudo does exist; it is simply one of the most recent words created by back-formation from another word misunderstood as a plural. Kudos was introduced into English in the 19th century; it was used in contexts where a reader unfamiliar with Greek could not be sure whether it was singular or plural. By the 1920s it began to appear as a plural, and about 25 years later kudo began to appear. It may have begun as a misunderstanding, but then so did cherry and pea.