Plaudit, n.
Etymology: [From L. plaudite do ye praise (which was said by players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. pl. imperative of plaudere. Cf. Plausible.]
A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed. Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng. Longfellow.
Syn. -- Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation; approval.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for plaudit; he lists it under praise.
Where he writes about it:
Plaudit is a shout of applause, and is commonly used in the plural; as, the plaudits of a throng. — from praise