pean

[ pee-uh n ]

/ ˈpi ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pean ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nearby words

peaky, peal, peale, peale, charles willson, peamouth, pean, peano, peano curve, peano's axioms, peano's postulates, peanut

Definition for pean (2 of 2)

paean

or pe·an

[ pee-uh n ]

/ ˈpi ən /

noun

any song of praise, joy, or triumph.

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

Origin of paean

1535–45; < Latin: religious or festive hymn, special use of Paean appellation of Apollo < Greek Paiā́n physician of the gods

Related forms

pae·an·ism, noun

Can be confused

paean paeon peon

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

Examples from the Web for pean

Pean sprang after them, and in a few minutes I heard the dull, muffled report of his musket.
Cruisings in the Cascades|George O. Shields
Pean cut only a handful of boughs, spread them near the fire, threw his coat over them, and lay down.
Cruisings in the Cascades|George O. Shields
Pean, you will remember, could not speak half a dozen words of English.
Cruisings in the Cascades|George O. Shields
"De Pean does not lie, Le Gardeur," answered she, frightened at his look.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby

Analogy requires Euro'pean, and this is supported by as good authorities as the other.
Dissertation on the English Language|Noah Webster, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for pean (1 of 3)

pean

/ (ˈpiːən) /

noun

a less common US spelling of paean

British Dictionary definitions for pean (2 of 3)

pean

/ (piːn) /

noun

heraldry a fur of sable spotted with or

Word Origin for pean

C16: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for pean (3 of 3)

paean

sometimes US pean

/ (ˈpiːən) /

noun

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

any song of praise

enthusiastic praisethe film received a paean from the critics

Word Origin for paean

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

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