OED Online Word of the Day The September 2013 quarterly update is now available. New words and meanings have been added across the dictionary, including bucket list, buzzworthy, fleishig, and milchig. Find out more... Your word for today is: paean, n. paean, n. [‘ Ancient Greek Hist. A solemn song or chant; spec. a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance, victory in battle, etc., addressed to Apollo (or occas. another god or goddess); (hence also) a war song invoking such victory.’] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈpiːən/, U.S. /ˈpiən/ Forms: 15–16 pean, 15– paean, 18 paian, 19– paeon. Etymology: < classical Latin paeān hymn, usually of victory, addressed to Apollo or another god < ancient Greek (Doric) παιάν (Attic-Ionic παιών, Epic παιήων) a song or chant, spec. a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance, victory in battle, etc., properly one addressed to Apollo invoked under the name Paean (classical Latin Paeān, ancient Greek (Doric) Παιάν, Attic-Ionic Παιών, Epic Παιήων), originally the Homeric name of the physician of the gods, of unknown etymology. The invocation being by the phrase Ἰὼ ΠαιάνIo Paean (see Io n.1), the song or hymn came itself to be called the paean. Compare Italian peana (first half of the 14th cent.), Middle French, French paean (1565 in the passage translated in quot. 1603 at sense 1), Portuguese péan (17th cent.). Compare paeon n.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 21:34:05 +0000
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