ode

1 of 2

noun

ˈōd 

plural odes

1

: a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms

Keats's ode "To a Nightingale"

2

: something that shows respect for or celebrates the worth or influence of another : homage

The museum would be an ode to visual storytelling, drawn from the director's collection of film ephemera and fine art.

—Chanan Tigay

The recipe is an ode to my homeland, Vietnam, and I'd like to share it with my new friends in America.

—Gourmet

odist

ˈō-dist 

noun

-ode

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Examples of ode in a Sentence

Noun

This poem is titled, “An Ode to My Mother.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That latter category includes my No. 1 title, an ode to the glories of cinema that ends, in an utterly magical sequence, with all its major characters entering a movie theatre. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024

Il Ristorante, Chef Luca Fantin’s ode to Italian fine dining, serves upscale versions of Italian classics in an open-air dining room filled with black marble and ocean views. —Ryan Smith, Travel + Leisure, 17 Dec. 2024

The film is an ode to Cincinnati and the Janson brothers Despite their lack of acting experience, the Jansons' on-screen performance was anything but amateur. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Dec. 2024

As artists like Chappell Roan and Reneé Rapp dominated the festival circuit, Eilish’s odes to flirtation and feasting flitted around the Hot 100’s top 40. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin, from Greek ōidē, literally, song, from aeidein, aidein to sing; akin to Greek audē voice

Noun combining form

Greek -odos, from hodos

First Known Use

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ode

1 of 2 noun

ˈōd 

: a lyric poem that expresses a noble feeling with dignity

-ode

2 of 2 noun combining form

ˌōd

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Etymology

Noun combining form

derived from Greek hodos "way, path"