ode

1 of 2

noun

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 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
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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 See all Example Sentences for ode 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ode was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near ode

Cite this Entry

“Ode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ode. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

ode

1 of 2 noun
: 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"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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