-ode

¹

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

   phyllode.

-ode

²

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

   anode; electrode.

ode

³

[ ohd ]

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.

ode

¹

/ əʊd /

noun

1. See Pindaric ode, Horatian ode
   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

-ode

²

combining form

1. denoting a path or way

   electrode

-ode

³

combining form

1. denoting resemblance

   nematode

ode

1. 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 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ode¹

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

Origin of -ode²

< Greek -odos, combining form of hodós

Origin of -ode³

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ode¹

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

Origin of -ode²

from Greek -odos, from hodos a way

Origin of -ode³

from Greek -ōdēs, from eidos shape, form

Example Sentences

Meaning that even if Bartini wasn’t always appreciated in his time, the future could soon be an ode to his work.

From Ozy

Though the reviews were unfair and unkind, “Endymion” is far from Keats’s best work, and the poems that would establish him as an enduring poet — in particular, the “great odes” of 1819 — were yet to come.

From Washington Post

Perhaps the odes require a different form of criticism, one in which feeling is mixed with thinking, passion with reason, the subjective with the objective.

From Washington Post

One of Gordana Gerskovic’s found abstractions turns a partly whitewashed wall into a minimalist ode, and Katherine Blakeslee frames monumental outdoor sculpture to highlight the shadows they cast.

From Washington Post

It was supposed to be a sweet outing with their grandparents, an ode to generations of tradition and heritage.

From Washington Post

This music video is an ode to his one true love, complete with romantic rides on horseback.

From The Daily Beast

The simultaneously upbeat and sentimental ode to friendship is equal parts funk, trance, pop, and R&B.

From The Daily Beast

Minaj dropped her newest single Anaconda on Monday, a Sir Mix-A-Lot sampling ode to her own assets.

From The Daily Beast

“The Ladies Who Lunch,” an ode to jaded Manhattanites, stubbornness, and vodka stingers, became one of her two signature songs.

From The Daily Beast

Korean pop superstar Psy has teamed up with Snoop Dogg to create an indispensable ode to overindulgence.

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

The principal classes of lyric poetry are the song, the ode, the elegy, and the sonnet.

From Project Gutenberg

An ode is a lyric expressing exalted emotion; it usually has a complex and irregular metrical form.

From Project Gutenberg

A volume of her poems appeared in the following year, with Dryden's ode as an introduction.

From Project Gutenberg

It became the fashion in college to chant this martial ode whenever Hyacinth was seen approaching.

From Project Gutenberg

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?

• mad
• hella

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