It's the Word of the Day for March 1st.
Today's word is Paean, spelled P-A-E-A-N.
Paean is a noun.
It's a literary word that refers to a song of joy, praise, or victory.
It can also be used as a synonym of the word tribute for a work that praises or honors its subject.
Here's the word used in a sentence from the Atlantic.
The show is a tender study of people struggling to do right by themselves and others.
It's also a peon to Chicago, my hometown.
In ancient Greece,
Payan or Payon was a name used for the god Apollo when in the guise of physician to the gods.
Payan and Payon were also used to refer to hymns of thanksgiving and praise,
sung especially to Apollo, as was their Latin descendant, Pian.
When Pian first appeared in English in the late 16th century,
it was used both in the context of Greek history and in general for a joyous song or hymn of praise,
tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph.
Over time, the word became even more generalized and is now used for any kind of tribute.
With your Word of the Day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.