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pean

[pee-uh n]
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noun
  1. paean.
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paean

or pe·an

[pee-uh n]
noun
  1. any song of praise, joy, or triumph.
  2. a hymn of invocation or thanksgiving to Apollo or some other ancient Greek deity.
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Origin of paean

1535–45; < Latin: religious or festive hymn, special use of Paean appellation of Apollo < Greek Paiā́n physician of the gods
Related formspae·an·ism, noun
Can be confusedpaean paeon peon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pean

Historical Examples

  • "De Pean does not lie, Le Gardeur," answered she, frightened at his look.

    The Golden Dog

    William Kirby

  • Pean, you will remember, could not speak half a dozen words of English.

    Cruisings in the Cascades

    George O. Shields

  • Analogy requires Euro'pean, and this is supported by as good authorities as the other.

  • Bigot winked at De Pean and smiled furtively, as much as to say, "You know how to interpret my words."

    The Golden Dog

    William Kirby

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for pean

pean1

noun
  1. a less common US spelling of paean
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pean2

noun
  1. heraldry a fur of sable spotted with or
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Word Origin

C16: of uncertain origin

paean

sometimes US pean

noun
  1. a hymn sung in ancient Greece in invocation of or thanksgiving to a deity
  2. any song of praise
  3. enthusiastic praisethe film received a paean from the critics
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Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for pean

paean

n.

1590s, from Latin paean "hymn of deliverance," from Greek paian "hymn, chant, hymn to Apollo," from Paian, a name of the god of healing; originally the physician of the gods (in Homer), later merged with Apollo; literally "one who touches" (i.e. "one who heals by a touch"), from paio "to touch, strike."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper