Make Your Point: PAEAN

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pronounce PAEAN:

PEE un

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

The lovely word paean traces back to the name of a mythical god.

So do the terms below:

1. From the name of a god associated with sweet springtime breezes, z____r means "a gentle wind."

2. From the name of a god associated with wealth, the dead, and the underworld, P_____ian means "dark and gloomy, or hellish and demonic."

3. From the name of a queen of the gods, J____esque means "tall, beautiful, and intimidating."

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "paean" traces back through Latin to the Greek name Paean, a mythical god of healing, who in later stories merges with Apollo, another god of healing but also one associated with victory.

In ancient Greek history, and in English originally also, a paean was a song of victory after a battle: a song giving thanks to a god for that victory.

Over time, the meaning of the word loosened. Today, a paean is any happy song, poem, or other expression of joy, praise, or thanks.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "Hamilton is a paean to the founding fathers, and to the indispensability of immigrants."

Other forms:

The plural noun is "paeans."

If you prefer, you can spell the noun as "pean." You'll see it spelled that way in older texts. Personally I think "pean" is ugly; I prefer the strange and beautiful "paean."

If you want to get extra-strange, you can spell it "pæan," with the first two vowels fused into a ligature (also known as a digraph).

There's a verb, but it's ugly, and rare, so it calls a lot of attention to itself. You can paeanize something: sing its praises, or express your thanks for it. The other forms are "paeanized" and "paeanizing."

how to use it:

Pick the scholarly, semi-common, exuberant word "paean" when you want to strike a tone that's timeless or mythic.

You might refer to some song, album, poem, book, movie, or other creative work as a paean to someone, or to some place or idea.

examples:

"'Ain't nothing like a beer to alleviate my stress,' insist Seattle hip-hoppers the Physics on I Heart Beer, a glitchy paean to you-know-what."
— Jon Dennis, The Guardian, 12 July 2012

"They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls
A pæan from the bells!"
— Edgar Allan Poe, "The Bells," 1850

has this page helped you understand "paean"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "paean" without saying "ode" or "hymn."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Some wonderful poem, song, book, show, or other creation) is a paean to (some excellent person, place, thing, quality, virtue, or belief."

Example 1: "'I Stop And I Breathe' is a paean to the power and longevity of love."

Example 2: "The book [I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings] is a paean to the dignity in all of us."
— David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2014

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It's inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this one today: These industrial rockers from Cleveland, who abbreviate and stylize their name as NIƧ, are known for songs like "The Hand that Feeds," which "juxtapose the brutal and delicate, chaos and order, nihilistic despair and spiritual rapture," according to the Hall of Fame. In between shows, they kick back and play DREDGE on their PCs, trawling the depths for monstrous and sinister species of fish.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. The near opposite of a PAEAN is

A. a DIRGE: a poem or song of sadness.
B. a RHAPSODY: a poem or song of enthusiasm.
C. a PERORATION: a grand, dramatic speech.

2. In its strictest, most original sense, a paean is an expression of ____, like when _____.

A. victory .. a general or a football player praises God after winning
B. love .. Juliet stands on her balcony and gushes to herself about Romeo
C. solidarity .. a coach or a manager gives the team a pep talk before a tough game or shift

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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