ode
Origin of ode
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ode
ode , owedOther definitions for ode (2 of 3)
Origin of -ode
1Other definitions for ode (3 of 3)
Origin of -ode
2WORDS THAT USE -ODE
What does -ode mean?
The combining form –ode is used like a suffix that has two distinct senses.
The first of these senses is “like,” and this form of –ode is very occasionally used in a variety of scientific terms, especially in biology. This sense of –ode comes from Greek –ōdēs, roughly meaning “smell.” This suffix in Greek likely comes from words that describe smells and is related to the verb ózein, which means “to smell.”
The second of these senses is “way” or “road,” and this form of –ode is occasionally used in a variety of technical terms, especially in electrical terms. This sense of –ode comes from Greek hodós, meaning “way.”
Examples of -ode with the sense “like”
One example of a scientific term that uses the suffix –ode to mean “like” is nematode, “any unsegmented worm of the phylum Nematoda, having an elongated, cylindrical body,” also known as “a roundworm.”
The nemat– part of the word means “thread,” from Greek nēmat-, meaning “thread” or “yarn.” The –ode part of the word means “like,” as we have seen. Nematode literally translates to “threadlike.”
What are some words that use the combining form –ode?
- arillode
- cestode (using the equivalent form of –ode in Latin)
- phyllode (using the equivalent form of –ode in Greek)
- staminode
- trematode (using the equivalent form of –ode in Latin)
What are some other forms that –ode may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form phyll– means “leaf.” With this in mind, what does phyllode literally mean?
Examples of -ode with the sense “way” or "road"
A technical term that uses the form –ode is electrode, “a conductor, not necessarily metallic, through which a current enters or leaves a nonmetallic medium.”
The electr– part of the word means “electric,” as you may have guessed. The –ode portion of the word means “rway, road.” Electrode literally means “electric way (path).”
What are some words that use the combining form –ode?
- anode (using the equivalent form of –ode in Greek)
- cathode
- dynode
- heptode
- hydathode (using the equivalent form of –ode in German)
What are some other forms that –ode may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form hept– means “seven.” With this in mind, what does the term heptode literally mean?
ABOUT THIS WORD
What else does ode mean?
In literature, an ode is a type of lyrical poem enthusiastically praising a person or event. The slang ode, pronounced [ oh-dee ], is an intensifying adverb meaning “really” or “very.”
How is ode pronounced?
[ ohd ] or [ oh-dee ]What are other forms of ode?
odee
What are some other words related to ode?
Where does ode come from?
The ancient Greeks can be thanked for the original ode, poems that exalted individuals, actions, or nature. Famous ode writers over the centuries include the Greek Pindar, the Roman Horace, and, in the English language, John Keats. The word ode, from a Greek word meaning “song” or “chant,” is recorded in English in the 1500s.
The word ode is often found in the construction ode to X, with X being the object of the poem or other artistic work’s praise.
The slang ode (or odee) emerged as a substitute for “really” or “very” by 2009. It appears to be a phonetic spelling of the acronym for overdose, OD, whose original sense was extended to the idea of doing something to an extreme extent, hence “really” or “very.”
How is ode used in real life?
Outside of more formal literature, art, and music, ode is used as a term for “heightened praise” more generally (e.g., an ode to cute animal pictures). Very often, the grand scale of ode is used this way in a humorous manner, praising more mundane objects, such as bathrobes or coffee, for the joy they give people in their everyday lives.
Ode to my bathrobe: Oh bathrobe, so cuddly and warm, so navy and so blue, how I love you.
— Al Baxter (@aebaxter) January 24, 2007
Ode for “very” is found in slang. It carries a sense of exaggeration, much like the slang mad or hella. Extremely tired? Ode tired. Extremely late? Ode late. Really into someone? Ode attracted.
Don’t y’all hate when you get yo hair done and ya forehead be looking ode big
— ꒒ꏂꇙꃳ꒐ꋬꋊ ꊰꋬ꒐ꋪꌦ ❁ (@LUVDREAM9) September 8, 2018
More examples of ode:
“An ode to Adventure Time, one of TV’s most ambitious—and yes, most adventurous, shows”
—Dan Schindel, Vox (headline), September 2018
How to use ode in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ode (1 of 3)
Word Origin for ode
British Dictionary definitions for ode (2 of 3)
Word Origin for -ode
British Dictionary definitions for ode (3 of 3)
Word Origin for -ode
Cultural definitions for 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.