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 former is a wistful, contemplative song about the way the heaviest moments in life — good or bad — always take you by surprise, while title track is an ode to Kent’s own stubbornness. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024

Emilia Pérez is an ode to embracing one's identity, a parable of forgiveness, and a love story that is both romantic and platonic. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024

The shoe is an ode to the brand's best-selling running shoe of 1996, offering all the support and cushion the original was known for. $150 $100 at Nordstrom $150 $128 at Karhu Ellman wore these canvas slip-ons all around Italy last summer. —Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2024

For this demographic, the Olympics have been an ode to France’s multiculturalism — its opening ceremony was replete with drag performers and Lady Gaga — and as a riposte to the ultraconservative forces growing elsewhere in France. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 12 Aug. 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"