Art & MusicGreek → English
Paean
/ˈpiːən/noun
A song or speech of triumph, praise or thanksgiving.
The Greek roots
παιάν
paián
hymn of thanksgiving
Παιήων
Paiḗōn
the healer god
Literally: “song to the Healer”
The story of the word
Paieon was the physician of the gods in Homer, a separate figure who was later absorbed into Apollo as a title, and the song took its name from the ritual cry addressed to him. Spartans sang the paean as they advanced into battle, moving in step to the aulos, and both sides sang one again over the dead. English keeps the word for anything effusive in praise, usually with a raised eyebrow, as in 'a paean to the free market'.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 16th century
Same family
paeonApollo
In a sentence
The review is less a notice than a paean, and it names no faults at all.