paean
Syllables: pae·an/ˈpiː.ən/US/ˈpi.ən/
paean noun: a chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle.
Noun
paean (plural paeans)
- A chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle.
- In the mean time I am going to that part, whence I think it convenient for the battle to begin; and, as I paſs, ſhall consider how things are with reſpect to ourſelves. When I come there, and we are juſt ready to engage, I ſhall begin the Pœan;^([sic]) and do you follow.1773, W[illiam] Cooke, “The Life of Cyrus the Great”, in The Way to the Temple of True Honor and Fame by the Paths of Heroic Virtue: Exemplified in the Most Entertaining Lives of the Most Eminent...
- Oh, happy ſoldier! had thy worth been try'd, / In pious daring, on thy country's ſide! / Oh, had thy ſword Iberian battles known, / Or purple with Cantabrian ſlaughter grown; / How had thy name in deathleſs annals ſhone! / But now no Roman Pæan ſhalt thou ſing, / Nor peaceful triumphs to thy...1795, Lucan, “The Pharsalia of Lucan”, in Nicholas Rowe, transl., The Works of the British Poets. With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical, by Robert Anderson, M.D., volume XII, London: Printed for...
- Any loud and joyous song; a song of triumph.
- The dissolution of this great Republic, and the probable failure of the mighty experiments in government of which it has been the theatre, will be a fine subject for political parties to illustrate their various prejudices. The upholders of despotism will sing pæans over its downfall—the lovers of...1833 February, “The Present Crisis in the United States”, in The Monthly Magazine, of Politics, Literature, and the Belles Lettres (New Series), volume XV, number LXXXVI, London: Published by Charles...
- Long before they reached this place, which was situated at the other end of the village, they heard the pæan of May carolled by a hundred voices; and, on entering the area, they immediately joined in the chorus.1841, “The Journey”, in The Life and Times of Dick Whittington; an Historical Romance, London: Hugh Cunningham, St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square; Simpkin, Marshall and Co., Stationers' Hall...
- An enthusiastic expression of praise.
- The barbarian, wandering in nature's wilds, plucking the fruits as they grow, or destroying the game for his meat, and quenching his thirst with the waters of the gurgling rill, may furnish the poet with a theme for a pean to the goddess of Natural Liberty; but he will be a barbarian still, and his...1843 February, I. D. W., “Association”, in James E. Ridgely, editor, The Covenant and Official Magazine of the Grand Lodge of the United States, I[ndependent] O[rder of] O[dd] F[ellows]: A Monthly...
- She moved proudly to the incessant music of a paean, aye! of a paean that was always crescendo. Its echoes followed her when she crossed the Atlantic, till they were lost in the louder, deeper, more blatant paean that rose for her from the shores beyond. All the stops of that “mighty organ...1911, Max Beerbohm, chapter II, in Zuleika Dobson
Verb
paean (third-person singular simple present paeans, present participle paeaning, simple past and past participle paeaned)
- To sing a paean; to praise.
- Then let the pæaned hymn aspire, / Nor longer court unholy gloom; / Let happier music wake thy lyre, / Than haunts the precincts of the tomb.1804, Joseph Story, “[Fugitive Poems:] Expostulation and Reply”, in The Power of Solitude. A Poem. In Two Parts, new and imp. edition, Salem, Mass.: Published by Barnard B. Macanulty, →OCLC, page 211
- Solemn, "as it were a pause in nature," was his [George Washington's] transit to eternity; thronged by the shades of heroes, his approach to the confines of bliss; pæaned by the songs of angels, his journey beyond the stars!1812, Robert Treat Paine, Jr., “Eulogy on the Life of General George Washington”, in The Works, in Verse and Prose, of the Late Robert Treat Paine, Jun., Esq. With Notes. To which are Prefixed...
paean meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
paean in Tamil
- வாழ்த்துப் பாடல், வாழ்த்துப்பா, நன்றிப் பாடல், போற்றும் பாடல்
paean in Urdu
- پیروزی نامہ, رجذ
paean in Bengali
- উচ্ছ্বসিত প্রশংসা, স্তোত্র
paean in Malayalam
- കീർത്തനം, ജയഗീതം, സ്തോത്രം
More languagesFewer languages
- paean in Kannada
- ವಿಜಯಗೀತೆ, ದೇವತಾ ಸ್ತುತಿ, ಪ್ರಶಂಸಾ ಗೀತೆ, ಗೆಲುವಿನ ಹಾಡು
- paean in Indonesian
- paian
Examples of paean in a sentence
- She moved proudly to the incessant music of a paean, aye! of a paean that was always crescendo.1911, Max Beerbohm, chapter II, in Zuleika Dobson:
- Its echoes followed her when she crossed the Atlantic, till they were lost in the louder, deeper, more blatant paean that rose for her from the shores beyond.1911, Max Beerbohm, chapter II, in Zuleika Dobson:
- Unlike other accounts, Eagles of the RAF is not simply a paean to the pilots as special heroes and "aces," though many performed heroically and some sacrificed their lives.1991 August, J[ohn] A[shby] Baldwin[, Jr.], “Foreword”, in Philip D. Caine, Eagles of the RAF: The World War II Eagle Squadrons...
- Article 123 of the 1917 Constitution promulgated the most advanced labor code of its time, and revolutionary rhetoric has always rung with paeans to labor.1992, Edward J. Williams, John T. Passé-Smith, “The Maquiladora Workers: Attitudes and Activities”, in The Unionization of the Maquiladora...
Synonyms of paean
Forms of paean
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | paeans |
| alternative form | pæan |
| alternative form | pean |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | paeans |
| present participle | paeaning |
| past participle | paeaned |
| past | paeaned |
Origin of paean
From Latin paeān (“a hymn, especially a victory hymn, to Apollo or another god”), from Ancient Greek παιᾱ́ν (paiā́n, “a chant or song, especially a thanksgiving or victory hymn, to Apollo under the name Παιᾱ́ν (Paiā́n)”), from the phrase Ἰὼ Παιᾱ́ν (Iṑ Paiā́n, “O Paean!, Thanks to Paean!”). According to Homer, Paián or Paean was the name of the physician of the gods; its further etymology is unclear. It has been suggested that Παιᾱ́ν is derived from *παιάϝων (*paiáwōn, “one who heals illnesses through magic”), from *παῖϝα (*paîwa), *παϝία (*pawía, “to blow”), related to παίω (paíō, “to hit, strike”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pēu-, *pyu-, *pū- (“to hit; to cut”)), or from παύω (paúō, “to bring to an end; to abate, to stop”) (from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little; smallness”)), or that it may be a Pre-Greek word. Compare Middle French and French pæan (also French péan), Italian peana, Portuguese peã, péan.
Words formed from paean
Words that rhyme with paean
Questions about paean
- What does paean mean?
- Paean means a chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle.
- What is paean in Tamil?
- Paean in Tamil is வாழ்த்துப் பாடல், வாழ்த்துப்பா, நன்றிப் பாடல். See Paean meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use paean in a sentence?
- She moved proudly to the incessant music of a paean, aye! of a paean that was always crescendo.
- What part of speech is paean?
- Paean can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce paean?
- Paean is pronounced /ˈpiː.ən/ (UK).
- What is the plural of paean?
- The plural of paean is paeans.
Words near paean in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: paean (page history and authors); paean (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); paean (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); paean (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); paean (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); paean (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-paean.wav.
Cite this entry: “paean.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/paean. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.