ode

[ ohd ]
See synonyms for ode on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

  2. (originally) a poem intended to be sung.

Origin of ode

1
1580–90; <Middle French <Late Latin ōda<Greek ōidḗ, contraction of aoidḗ song, derivative of aeídein to sing

Words that may be confused with ode

Other definitions for -ode (2 of 3)

-ode1

  1. a suffix of nouns, appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “like”; used in the formation of compound words: phyllode.

Origin of -ode

2
<Greek -ōdēs, probably generalized from adjectives describing smells, as kēṓdēs smelling like incense; base ōd- of ózein to smell, give off odor

Other definitions for -ode (3 of 3)

-ode2

  1. a combining form meaning “way,” “road,” used in the formation of compound words: anode; electrode.

Origin of -ode

3
<Greek -odos, combining form of hodós

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ode in a sentence

  • I will sing an ode to thee, as Hafiz has written and sung many a one to his; peace be to his memory!

    Confessions of a Thug | Philip Meadows Taylor
  • The principal classes of lyric poetry are the song, the ode, the elegy, and the sonnet.

    English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
  • An ode is a lyric expressing exalted emotion; it usually has a complex and irregular metrical form.

    English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
  • A volume of her poems appeared in the following year, with Dryden's ode as an introduction.

    The Cornwall Coast | Arthur L. Salmon
  • It became the fashion in college to chant this martial ode whenever Hyacinth was seen approaching.

    Hyacinth | George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for ode (1 of 3)

ode

/ (əʊd) /


noun
  1. a lyric poem, typically addressed to a particular subject, with lines of varying lengths and complex rhythms: See also Horatian ode, Pindaric ode

  2. (formerly) a poem meant to be sung

Origin of ode

1
C16: via French from Late Latin ōda, from Greek ōidē, from aeidein to sing

British Dictionary definitions for -ode (2 of 3)

-ode1

n combining form
  1. denoting resemblance: nematode

Origin of -ode

2
from Greek -ōdēs, from eidos shape, form

British Dictionary definitions for -ode (3 of 3)

-ode2

n combining form
  1. denoting a path or way: electrode

Origin of -ode

3
from Greek -odos, from hodos a way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for ode

ode

A kind of poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal, or thing. An ode is usually written in an elevated style and often expresses deep feeling. An example is “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” by John Keats.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.