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According to the poet Homer, the Greek god Apollo sometimes took the guise of Paean, physician to the gods. The earliest musical paeans were hymns of thanksgiving and praise that were dedicated to Apollo. They were sung at events ranging from boisterous festivals to public funerals, and they were the traditional marching songs of armies heading into battle. Over time, the word became generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute.
Examples of paean in a Sentence
his retirement party featured many paeans for his long years of service to the company
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott house, now a museum, its low planes a paean to the Midwestern prairie.
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Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
At first glance, the collection seemed to be a paean to rejects.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
As a paean to the original, a full-scale 85-foot replica of the clocktower will be a star attraction.
—Jonathan Delise, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Nguyen worries, however, that our urge to quantify the value of our lives and achievements is soul-sucking, and his worries are less fun to read about than his paeans to play.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
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Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
At first glance, the collection seemed to be a paean to rejects.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
As a paean to the original, a full-scale 85-foot replica of the clocktower will be a star attraction.
—Jonathan Delise, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Nguyen worries, however, that our urge to quantify the value of our lives and achievements is soul-sucking, and his worries are less fun to read about than his paeans to play.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paean
Cite this Entry
“Paean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paean. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paean
noun
pae·an
ˈpē-ən 
: a song of joy, praise, or triumph
a paean to youth
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