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 one-of-a-kind road-going hypercar is an ode to the Count Rossi Porsche 917 and will be on display at Le Mans. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 6 June 2025

The perfect ode to prickly pear and fields of flowers is in Ilio by Diptyque. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 4 June 2025

In fact, the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water — which earned del Toro Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture as one of the film’s producers — was an ode to the famed Universal Studios monster movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

Tooley explains that Gentry's colorful, poolside vibes are an ode to classic styles. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 29 May 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"