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

Regardless if they’re officially deemed Masters collections or not, golf brands and fans are well aware that anything floral and/or pink, green and yellow is an ode to professional golf’s first major and the unofficial start to the amateur golf season. —Michael Loré, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Because this clever, funny play is both an attentive ode to Greenspan’s extraordinary artistry as a playwright-performer and an unsparing meditation on the psychic and financial precariousness of playwriting as a creative life. —Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

An ode to the residence of a fictitious 14th-century Italian merchant, the suite’s interior touches include a White Statuario marble fireplace, Mahjong table, European and Asian artwork, and handcrafted crystal chandeliers. —Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2025

The theater’s first event will be with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, an ode to their long history together. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for ode

• blowed
• bode
• code
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed

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"