ode

[ohd]

noun

a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

(originally) a poem intended to be sung.

Compare Horatian ode, Pindaric ode.

Origin of ode

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

Can be confusedode owed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for odes

song, rhyme, poesy, verse, lyric, composition, ballad, sonnet, limerick, epode

Examples from the Web for odes

Contemporary Examples of odes

Each time Emma Stone or Mila Kunis have a new movie coming out, a flurry of odes to their “coolness” hit the web.
Why Do We Still Hate Gwyneth Paltrow?
Kevin Fallon
May 2, 2013

Historical Examples of odes

Collins is not to publish the odes unless he gets ten guineas for them.
The Poetical Works of William Collins
William Collins
Collins lived thirteen years after the publication of his Odes.
The Poetical Works of William Collins
William Collins
It may be doubted which are now most popular, the Odes of Collins or of Gray.
The Poetical Works of William Collins
William Collins
Nay, Cumberland has made his odes subsidiary to the fame of another man.
Art in England
Dutton Cook
Come up after dinner and let us have a chat about that line in the 'Odes' we were speaking about.
My New Curate
P.A. Sheehan

British Dictionary definitions for odes

ode

noun

a lyric poem, typically addressed to a particular subject, with lines of varying lengths and complex rhythmsSee also Horatian ode, Pindaric ode

(formerly) a poem meant to be sung

Word Origin for ode

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

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

Word Origin and History for odes

ode

1580s, from Middle French ode (c.1500), from Late Latin ode "lyric song," from Greek oide, Attic contraction of aoide "song, ode;" related to aeidein (Attic aidein) "to sing;" aoidos (Attic oidos) "a singer, singing;" aude "voice, tone, sound," probably from a PIE *e-weid-, perhaps from root *wed- "to speak." In classical use, "a poem intended to be sung;" in modern use usually a rhymed lyric, often an address, usually dignified, rarely extending to 150 lines. Related: Odic.

odes in Culture

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.