Another spelling bee word. Obviously Latin, couldn't find in any dictionary, but found
a site some of you might find useful.
proxime accessit [prksm ęksst]
n. the person coming next after the winner in a competitive
examination or an academic prize giving; runner-up.
[Latin: he came next]
http://www.wordreference.com/English/definition.asp?en=proxime+accessit
Found this definition on Luciferous Logolepsy via Onelook.com:
"accessit
n. - honourable mention of one who comes nearest to a prize."
More obviousizing: So, let's say there were three prizes: first, second, and third prizes. The accessit would be the honorable mention after the third prize, right?
A pretty useless word since everybody so freely uses honorable mention. Who needs another word to rub it in that you didn't get a prize?
Proxine accessit is runner up, honorable mention is for third. Just to quibble.
And just to quibble back, aren't there first, second, and third prizes followed by honorable mentions? The definition I pasted indicated that the honorable mention was the place after a prize. I don't think that indicated a first prize exclusively.
Depends on the willingness of local schlockmeisters to pony up prizes.
In NZ high schools, the person coming second to the dux(the dux is roughly equivalent to a USn valedictorian, near as I can figure), is called the proxime accessit.
Good to know, sjm, the term is alive and kicking somewhere.