paean

noun

pae·an ˈpē-ən

Synonyms of paean

: a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph

unite their voices in a great paean to liberty—Edward Sackville-West

: a work that praises or honors its subject : encomium, tribute

wrote a paean to the queen on her 50th birthday

Did you know?

According to the poet Homer, the Greek god Apollo sometimes took the guise of Paean, physician to the gods. The earliest musical paeans were hymns of thanksgiving and praise that were dedicated to Apollo. They were sung at events ranging from boisterous festivals to public funerals, and they were the traditional marching songs of armies heading into battle. Over time, the word became generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute.

Examples of paean in a Sentence

his retirement party featured many paeans for his long years of service to the company

Recent Examples on the Web

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Karl Johnson makes an excellent Firs, the ancient servant who regrets the freeing of the serfs and who alternates between dignified paeans to the old days and mumbling streams of profanities. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 So are the many paeans to the social and economic benefits of university research that schools have posted in the past two months. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2025 From tomes by landscape designers to paeans to floral fantasias by lifestyle gurus, these book releases will definitely get you in the mood for spring. —Blue Carreon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Allen appears later, to introduce a Nora Ephron paean to New York City in the wake of the attacks. —Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for paean