plaudit [E17th] You receive plaudits when you are praised for something good you have done. The source is Latin plaudite ‘applaud!’, which is what Roman actors used to ask the audience to do at the end of a play. This comes from plaudere ‘to applaud or clap’, as does applaud [LME]. Plausible [M16th], also ultimately from plaudere, was at one time used to mean ‘deserving applause or approval’. See also explode.