Ode Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Usage

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms ode 1 American [ohd] / oʊd /

noun

1. a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

2. (originally) a poem intended to be sung.

-ode 2 American

1. a combining form meaning “way,” “road,” used in the formation of compound words.

   anode; electrode.

-ode 3 American

1. a suffix of nouns, appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “like”; used in the formation of compound words.

   phyllode.

-ode 1 British

combining form

1. denoting a path or way

   electrode

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 -ode 2 British

combining form

1. denoting resemblance

   nematode

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 ode 3 British / əʊd /

noun

1. a lyric poem, typically addressed to a particular subject, with lines of varying lengths and complex rhythms See also Horatian ode Pindaric ode

2. (formerly) a poem meant to be sung

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 ode Cultural

1. A kind of poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal, or thing. An ode is usually written in an elevated style and often expresses deep feeling. An example is “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” by John Keats.

Usage

What else does ode mean? In literature, an ode is a type of lyrical poem enthusiastically praising a person or event. The slang ode, pronounced [ oh-dee ], is an intensifying adverb meaning "really" or "very."How is ode pronounced?[ ohd ] or [ oh-dee ]What are other forms of ode?odeeWhat are some other words related to ode?

• mad
• hella

What does -ode mean? The combining form -ode is used like a suffix that has two distinct senses.The first of these senses is “like,” and this form of -ode is very occasionally used in a variety of scientific terms, especially in biology. This sense of -ode comes from Greek -ōdēs, roughly meaning “smell.” This suffix in Greek likely comes from words that describe smells and is related to the verb ózein, which means "to smell."The second of these senses is “way” or "road," and this form of -ode is occasionally used in a variety of technical terms, especially in electrical terms. This sense of -ode comes from Greek hodós, meaning "way."

Etymology

Origin of ode1

1580–90; < Middle French < Late Latin ōda < Greek ōidḗ, contraction of aoidḗ song, derivative of aeídein to sing

Origin of -ode1

< Greek -odos, combining form of hodós

Origin of -ode1

< Greek -ōdēs, probably generalized from adjectives describing smells, as kēṓdēs smelling like incense; base ōd- of ózein to smell, give off odor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Warren had the UK's biggest-selling single of 2025 with Ordinary, an ode to his wife Kouvr, who left home to be with him when he was living rough on the streets of LA.

From BBC

There’s a wooden birdcage with chicken figurines, an ode to where he came from, and the evolution of his ambition.

From Salon

Albert Birney, the director, co-writer and star, delivers a black-and-white ode to a previous era’s slippery boundaries between real existence and the 8-bit kind that isn’t quite a cautionary tale, nor does it want to be one.

From Los Angeles Times

I can hear the woodwinds and strings in your ode to creative lawyering in the states.

From Slate

But, as I’ve discussed in my ode to the Big Quarterly Prep Day, I do prefer it in ceremonious bursts: a few hours at a stretch, a good playlist, iced coffee sweating onto the counter, the sense that I am provisioning not just dinner but a future version of myself.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.