Paeon
/ˈpiː.ɒn/noun
An ancient Greek healing deity, or a metrical foot in poetry with one long syllable and three short ones.
Did you know?Paeon was originally a divine healer in Greek myth, and his name later became attached to a poetic meter, showing how sacred names could be transformed into technical language.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek myth
Greek
Παίων (Paíōn)
“A divine healer or physician, especially associated with healing the gods”
Classical Greek
Greek
παιών (paiṓn)
“A hymn or chant of praise to Apollo or another god, later linked with healing”
Late Classical / Hellenistic
Greek
παιών (paiṓn)
“A metrical foot of four syllables, one long and three short”
Latin
Latin
paeōn
“A Greek metrical foot borrowed into Latin grammatical and poetic terminology”
Middle English
English
paeon
“A metrical foot in verse, used in learned poetic analysis”
Modern English
English
paeon
“A rare poetic term for a foot of one long and three short syllables, or an archaic literary term related to praise”