salutatorian

salutatory +‎ -ian

• enPR: sə-lyo͞o'-tə-tŏrʹ-ē-ən, IPA^(key): /sə.ˌljuː.tə.ˈtɔːɹ.iː.ən/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /sə.ˌluː.tə.ˈtɔːɹ.iː.ən/
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /sə.ˌljuː.tə.ˈtɔːɹ.iː.ən/
• Hyphenation: sa‧lu‧ta‧tor‧i‧an
• Rhymes: -ɔːɹiən

salutatorian (plural salutatorians)

1. (US, education) The person who graduates high school with the second-highest GPA and thus gets to give the salutatory address during the graduation ceremony.

   Coordinate term: valedictorian

   • 2021 June 11, Stephanie Saul, “Two Black Students Won School Honors. Then Came the Calls for a Recount.”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     At first, it seemed a joyous occasion. There was an audible gasp in the room, then boisterous cheering and applause when the announcement was made: Ikeria Washington and Layla Temple had been named 2021 valedictorian and salutatorian for West Point High School.

   • 2021 July 19, Andrew LaVallee, “A Rising Star’s Career Was Cut Short. His Impact Is Just Beginning.”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     He was the salutatorian of his high school class (a sore subject, his sister said, since So thought he missed the top spot on a technicality), and entered Stanford intending to major in computer science.

• saturational