Paean Hymn Writing Expresses Praise Noun Joyous Song

In ancient Greece, a paean was a hymn of invocation or thanksgiving to Apollo or another Greek deity. Today, the word is used more generally to refer to a hymn of praise or thanksgiving or to speech or writing that expresses praise.

Paean is often used for critical acclaim of books, plays, and movies, as in: “The play received a paean from the usually negative critics.”