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

The song is a tender ode to a loved one in her life, presumably a lover like her partner Don Toliver, though her love has also been overflowing for her baby son over the past year. —Chris Malone Mendez, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

This is a cool ode to Khan, who has gone viral in recent weeks on social media. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Daisy Print Skirt This stretch mini skirt from Versace’s spring 2002 collection is a punchy ode to Y2K maximalism, splashed with the collection’s signature cartoonish daisy print. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2025

Ginny’s Supper Club is a touching ode to the speakeasies that made Harlem world-renowned. —Shannon J. Effinger, AFAR Media, 18 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"