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

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.

From Salon

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.

From Los Angeles Times

To this day, there remains no better Rosetta stone for deciphering the Nirvana generation’s view of work than 1999’s “Office Space,” Mike Judge’s paean to the plight of the X-er cubicle drone.

From Salon

The Oscars ceremony opens with a cinematic paean to Los Angeles, then Ariana Grande sings “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

From Los Angeles Times

But the admiring, even celebratory, tone of these paeans to hot actresses remaining hot well past Hollywood’s traditional expiration date masks the shadow side of this phenomenon: The wizened, terrifying hag.

From Salon

Related Words

• hymn