ETYM French, from Latin ode, oda, Greek Oide a song, especially a lyric song, contr. from aeidein to sing; cf.Skr. vad to speak, sing. Related to Comedy, Melody, Monody.
A lyric poem with complex stanza forms.
Lyric poem of complex form. Odes originated in ancient Greece, where they were chanted to a musical accompaniment. Classical writers of odes include Sappho, Pindar, Horace, and Catullus. English poets who adopted the form include Spenser, Milton, Dryden, and Keats.