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 acclaimed writer returns with a love story and ode to books and the libraries that house them. —The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a political thriller, a horror movie, and an ode to that unrepentance. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024

As an adult, though, the comedy resonates more as an ode to the exhaustive nature of being a parent around the holidays and how everybody's just trying to get by at the holidays, even the tired mall Santa. 10. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024

Buy Now on Maison Francis Kurkdjian: $95 Photo : Harlem Candle Company Harlem Candle Company Holiday Each of Harlem Candle Company’s delightful scented candles is an olfactory ode to a person or place that contributes to the world-famous neighborhood’s renown. —Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 26 Nov. 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"