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

Clifton's ode "homage to my hips"

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

There’s something so satisfying in knowing this maximalist ode to femme chaos merited a shooting star franchise. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026

The hotel’s all-day restaurant, Emilia’s, is an ode to Fort Worth’s sister city, Reggio Emilia, with pastas and other Mediterranean fare. —Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2026

All the crockery is handmade with Bengal clay by Sienna’s pottery studio, and the food that tops is each an ode to the richness of that same soil and the seasons of the state. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Today, the song feels like an accidentally nostalgic ode to a bygone era when Baltimore’s plentiful factory jobs and thriving nightlife lured droves of Southerners to the city. —Spin Team, SPIN, 20 Apr. 2026

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"