Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of paean - 5 dictionary results

pae⋅an

  [pee-uhn]
Use paean in a Sentence
–noun
1. any song of praise, joy, or triumph.
2. a hymn of invocation or thanksgiving to Apollo or some other ancient Greek deity.
Also, pean.

Origin:
1535–45; < L: religious or festive hymn, special use of Paean appellation of Apollo < Gk Pain physician of the gods

Related forms:
pae⋅an⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To paean
pae·an also pe·an   (pē'ən)   
n.  
  1. A song of joyful praise or exultation.
  2. A fervent expression of joy or praise: "The art . . . was a paean to paganism" (Will Durant).
  3. An ancient Greek hymn of thanksgiving or invocation, especially to Apollo.

[Latin paeān, hymn of thanksgiving, often addressed to Apollo, from Greek paiān, from Paiā, a title of Apollo.]
pae'an·is'tic (-ĭs'tĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Paean

P[ae]"an\ (p[=e]`an), n. [L. paean, Gr. paia`n, fr. Paia`n the physician of the gods, later, Apollo. Cf. P[ae]on, Peony.] [Written also pean.]

1. An ancient Greek hymn in honor of Apollo as a healing deity, and, later, a song addressed to other deities.

2. Any loud and joyous song; a song of triumph. --Dryden. "Public p[ae]ans of congratulation." --De Quincey.

3. See P[ae]on.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

paean 
1592, from L. paean "hymn of deliverance," from Gk. paian "hymn to Apollo," from Paian, a name of the god; originally the physician of the gods (in Homer), later merged with Apollo; lit. "one who touches," from paio "to touch, strike."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

paean

solemn choral lyric of invocation, joy, or triumph, originating in ancient Greece, where it was addressed to Apollo in his guise as Paean, physician to the gods. In the Mycenaean Linear B tablets from the late 2nd millennium BC, the word pa-ja-wo-ne is used as a name for a healer god. This god's name was later associated with Apollo and his son Asclepius.

Learn more about paean with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see paean on Thesaurus | Reference