paean
/ˈpiːən
/noun
1A song of praise or triumph: a paean of praise for the great poets...
- Where other singers had songs that (even tangentially) referred to the hardships of life, the Copper family's songs are mostly paeans of praise to a farming life that is hard work, but rewarding.
- The priests and nuns routinely punctuated their prayers with paeans in praise of the goodness and greatness of Pius XII.
- Lyric poetry included dithyrambs, encomia, paeans, and hymns.
1.1A creative work expressing enthusiastic praise: he’s created a filmic paean to his hero...
- These films are a steady countercurrent to the seemingly endless paeans to World War II, a recognition that there have been quite a few wars and generations since the ‘greatest.’
- But despite these revelations, the novel is a paean to the power of the aesthetic.
- In its fuller exposition, the poem is a paean to the westward expansion of the country.
Synonyms
song of praise, hymn, psalm, anthem, shout of praise, alleluia;
praise, plaudit, exaltation, glorification, eulogy, tribute, testimonial, extolment, encomium, panegyric, accolade, acclamation, commendation, compliment, bouquet
Origin
Late 16th century: via Latin from Greek paian 'hymn of thanksgiving to Apollo' (invoked by the name Paian, originally the Homeric name for the physician of the gods).