paean Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a formal expression of praise
    pean; eulogy; panegyric; encomium.
  2. noun (ancient Greece) a hymn of praise (especially one sung in ancient Greece to invoke or thank a deity)
    pean.

WordNet

Pæ"an noun (Also<
  • Paean
  • Pæan
)
Etymology
L. paean, Gr. , fr. the physician of the gods, later, Apollo. Cf. Pæon, Peony.
Definitions
  1. An ancient Greek hymn in honor of Apollo as a healing deity, and, later, a song addressed to other deities.
  2. Any loud and joyous song; a song of triumph. Dryden. "Public pæans of congratulation." De Quincey.
  3. See Pæon.

Webster 1913