paean

or pe·an

[ pee-uhn ]

/ ˈpi ən /

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noun

a song of praise, joy, or triumph.

a formal expression of high praise, as a poem, movie, or monument: This documentary is another paean to the mystical power and beauty of the ocean.

an elaborate or excessive expression of praise; panegyric: His restaurant review is just a long and not very interesting paean to his favorite ethnic cuisine.

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

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of paean

First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin Paeān, Paeōn “a Greek god, especially Apollo in his capacity as healer; a religious or festive hymn, addressed to Apollo or another god,” from Greek Paiā́n, Paiḗōn, Paiṓn “choral song, hymn, especially to Apollo,” personified as “the divine physician, Apollo”

OTHER WORDS FROM paean

pae·an·ism, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH paean

paean , paeon, peon

Words nearby paean

Padua, paduasoy, Paducah, Padus, p. ae., paean, paederast, paediatrician, paediatrics, paedo-, paedogenesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use paean in a sentence

From the outset, we didn’t want this issue to be a paean to doomerism.
Most of us will first experience climate change through water|Mat Honan|December 23, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Todd Haynes’ bittersweet love story, impeccably adapted by Phyllis Nagy from Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, is a rich, glorious paean to New York in the 1950s.
11 Dark Christmas Movies to Watch If You’re Not Quite Feeling the Holiday Spirit|Peg Aloi|December 20, 2021|Time
It becomes a paean to writing like you’re running out of time and living like there’s no day but today.
The intertwined legacies of Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda|Constance Grady|November 19, 2021|Vox
His paean to the “unimaginable power” of the prosecutor feels incomplete without any acknowledgment of how this mission can go awry or how that power is experienced by those on the receiving end.
An indictment of William Barr’s tenure as attorney general|Quinta Jurecic|July 9, 2021|Washington Post

If the point was to create a paean to mediocrity, then Linklater has made maybe the definitive work on the subject.
Black 'Boyhood' Is Always Black First, Boy Later|Teo Bugbee|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He spoke movingly about his parents, got a rousing response to every paean to business success and American values.
Mitt Romney Rocked His Speech—Inside the Republican Convention Bubble|Lauren Ashburn|September 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Shockingly, this paean to the good old days did not prevail.
Immigration Ruling No Victory for AZ|Gabriel J. Chin, Marc L. Miller|June 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A paean to the lack of “personal ambition” in the American armed forces?
Obama’s Speech Took Ideas From the GOP and Rhetoric From Madison Avenue|Lee Siegel|January 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In its modern origins California was paean to progress in the best sense of the word.
The Golden State Is Crumbling|Joel Kotkin|September 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Its history, as composed by its own citizens, is one long paean of praise.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley
The news spread like wildfire, and a great paean of triumph went up from a thousand throats.
The Siege of Kimberley|T. Phelan
Shall I not follow many an illustrious example and sing my modest paean in her praise?
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
If Father Roland had known, he would have uttered a paean of joy.
The Courage of Marge O'Doone|James Oliver Curwood
Senator Whitten then launched into a paean of praise for the ancient art of preparing food.
The Model of a Judge|William Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for paean

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

paean

or pe·an

Origin of paean

OTHER WORDS FROM paean

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH paean

Words nearby paean

Words related to paean

How to use paean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for paean

sometimes US pean

Word Origin for paean