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pae·an also pe·an

(pēən)

1. A song of joyful praise or exultation.

2. A fervent expression of joy or praise: "The art ... was a paean to paganism" (Will Durant).

3. An ancient Greek hymn of thanksgiving or invocation, especially to Apollo.

[Latin paeān, hymn of thanksgiving, often addressed to Apollo, from Greek paiān, from Paiā, a title of Apollo.]

pae′an·istic (-ĭstĭk) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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