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paeon

American  
[pee-uhn, -on] / ˈpi ən, -ɒn /

noun

  1. Classical Prosody. a foot of one long and three short syllables in any order.


paeon British  
/ ˈpiːən /

noun

  1. prosody a metrical foot of four syllables, with one long one and three short ones in any order

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of paeon

1595–1605; < Latin paeōn < Greek paiōn, Attic variant of paiā́n; see paean

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And then the movie – like all the great John Hughes movies, a paeon to the ambiguities of youth; the pleasures, the agonisies, the clothes, oh sweet Jesus the clothes.

From The Guardian • May 29, 2014

Instead it is a heart-wringing paeon to homesickness.

From The Guardian • May 30, 2010

But both parties seem to be equally mistaken: for those who exclude the paeon, are not aware that they reject the sweetest and fullest number we have.

From Cicero's Brutus or History of Famous Orators; also His Orator, or Accomplished Speaker. by Jones, E.

As the paeon, therefore, is of all other feet the most improper for poetry, it may, for that reason be more readily admitted into prose.

From Cicero's Brutus or History of Famous Orators; also His Orator, or Accomplished Speaker. by Jones, E.

It was young, elemental joy, every step of it; sexless, no Bacchante dance, but rather a paeon of ecstasy, such as a dryad might have danced in the woods.

From Bambi by Cooke, Marjorie Benton

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