ode
1 Americannoun
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a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.
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(originally) a poem intended to be sung.
combining form
noun
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a lyric poem, typically addressed to a particular subject, with lines of varying lengths and complex rhythms See also Horatian ode Pindaric ode
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(formerly) a poem meant to be sung
combining form
Usage
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?odeeWhat are some other words related to 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."
Etymology
Origin of ode1
1580–90; < Middle French < Late Latin ōda < Greek ōidḗ, contraction of aoidḗ song, derivative of aeídein to sing
Origin of -ode2
< Greek -ōdēs, probably generalized from adjectives describing smells, as kēṓdēs smelling like incense; base ōd- of ózein to smell, give off odor
Origin of -ode3
< Greek -odos, combining form of hodós
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.