PAEAN Definition & Meaning

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paean

or ��·��

[ pee-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

paean

/ ˈ�辱ːə�� /

noun

a hymn sung in ancient Greece in invocation of or thanksgiving to a deity
any song of praise
enthusiastic praise
the film received a paean from the critics

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�貹��·��·�� noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of paean¹

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”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of paean¹

C16: via Latin from Greek �貹�� hymn to Apollo, from his title �ʲ��, denoting the physician of the gods

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Example Sentences

The Oscars ceremony opens with a cinematic paean to Los Angeles, then Ariana Grande sings “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

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But the admiring, even celebratory, tone of these paeans to hot actresses remaining hot well past Hollywood’s traditional expiration date masks the shadow side of this phenomenon: The wizened, terrifying hag.

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It is a resonant paean to darkness and death, modern but also eager to build on the worlds created by its predecessors.

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The lyrics are a pop-song paean to colonialism, reminiscent of Hegel’s 19th century thinking when he dismissed Africa as “unhistorical, undeveloped” and “devoid of morality, religions and political constitution.”

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And Mike Gold, author of “Jews Without Money,” sings a paean to an empty, garbage-strewn lot in his neighborhood that doubled as his beloved playground.

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