ode

play

noun \ ˈōd \

Definition of ode

: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"

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odist

play \ˈō-dist\ noun

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Examples of ode in a Sentence

This poem is titled, “An Ode to My Mother.”

Recent Examples of ode from the Web

An Ode to Michael Brecker: A tribute to Brecker, the incendiary NYC contemporary tenor saxophonist who lit up the stage of the Detroit Jazz Festival over a decade ago.

— michael g. nastos, Detroit Free Press, "2017 Detroit Jazz Festival: Can't-miss music highlights from Labor Day weekend," 30 Aug. 2017
Either one sounds a grounding note of contrast in this sultry ode to summer.

— emily horton, sacbee, "Eggplant and tomato make the pasta sauce of summer," 29 Aug. 2017
Thomas E. Ricks delivers an ode to the intense, but necessary relationship between writers and their editors.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic’s Week in Culture," 25 Aug. 2017
Their first shirt is an ode to Linda Sarsour, the co-chair for the National Women's March, a Brooklyn Native and a proud Palestinian, Muslim woman.

— teryn payne, Teen Vogue, "MAD FREE's Freedom Fighters Shirt Line Will Debut at Afropunk," 24 Aug. 2017
His summer days and nights were one long ode to both sports.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Kankakee Valley's Doug Greenlee goes home to Greencastle as athletic director," 22 July 2017
Kaepernick’s critics probably didn’t know that a portion of the Star-Spangled Banner’s third verse is a virtual ode to slavery written by slaveholder Francis Scott Key.

— solomon jones, Philly.com, "Michael Vick is wrong: A haircut won't help Colin Kaepernick, or any black man," 18 July 2017
Those who have read this space for a while know that in spite of last week’s ode to the Big Fat Yeast roll and its descendants, my favorite bread remains the biscuit.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Birmingham, Alabama," 30 June 2017
While gangsta rap spins violent odes and misogynistic threats, Salt-N-Pepa celebrate female independence, female sexuality, and—yes—motherhood.

— dinitia smith, Daily Intelligencer, "Straight Outta Queens," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ode.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ode

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1538

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