paean

Or pe·an

[pee-uhn]

noun

1. a song of praise, joy, or triumph.

2. a formal expression of high praise, as a poem, movie, or monument.

   This documentary is another paean to the mystical power and beauty of the ocean.

3. an elaborate or excessive expression of praise; panegyric.

   His restaurant review is just a long and not very interesting paean to his favorite ethnic cuisine.

4. a hymn of invocation or thanksgiving to Apollo or some other ancient Greek deity.

paean

/ ˈpiːən /

noun

1. a hymn sung in ancient Greece in invocation of or thanksgiving to a deity

2. any song of praise

3. enthusiastic praise

   the film received a paean from the critics

Other Word Forms

• paeanism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of paean¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin Paeān, Paeōn “a Greek god, especially Apollo in his capacity as healer; a religious or festive hymn, addressed to Apollo or another god,” from Greek Paiā́n, Paiḗōn, Paiṓn “choral song, hymn, especially to Apollo,” personified as “the divine physician, Apollo”

Word History and Origins

Origin of paean¹

C16: via Latin from Greek paiān hymn to Apollo, from his title Paiān, denoting the physician of the gods

Example Sentences

He insisted that he was an independent artist, proving the point by providing decadent, images for an edition of Thomas Malory’s paean to heroic chivalry, “Le Morte d’Arthur.”

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“All’s Fair” is a paean to the classic Hollywood movies Murphy adores, with its most direct spiritual influence being the 1939 adaptation of “The Women.”

Read more on Salon

Apart from being a paean to Twitter’s better day, it’s notable that this success is, also, about words.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The band members impressively stepped into the stunningly gorgeous harmonies of “New Mama,” Young’s delicate and heartwarming paean written after the birth of his first son.

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One of the great theatrical speeches written in the last 25 years, this vertiginous paean to America’s pastime was no doubt a factor in O’Hare’s win.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hymn