accolade

[Fr. an embrace; Lat. ad = to, and collum = the neck.] 1. Her. The ceremony by which in med iæval times one was dubbed a knight. On the question what this was antiquaries are not agreed. It has been made an embrace round the neck, a ki , or a slight blow upon the cheek or shoulder. "The new attorney-general having stooped down without objection to the usual accolade ."-Town send: Lives of Twelve Eminent Judges; Lord Eldon . 2. Music: The couplet uniting several staves. It may frequently be seen in part music, or in pianoforte music.