pæan

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun See pæon.
• noun Originally, a hymn to a help-giving god, especially Apollo, under the title of Pæan or Pæon, containing the invocation ‘Io Pæan’ (ἰω\ or ἰήεΠαιάν), asking for aid in war or other trouble, or giving thanks for aid received; hence, a war-song sung before a battle in honor of Ares, or after a battle as a thanksgiving to Apollo; in later times, a hymn in praise of other gods, or even of mortals; hence, a song of triumph generally; a loud and joyous song.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun An ancient Greek hymn in honor of Apollo as a healing deity, and, later, a song addressed to other deities.
• noun Any loud and joyous song; a song of triumph, joy, or praise.
• noun See Pæon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Alternative spelling of paean.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a formal expression of praise
• noun (ancient Greece) a hymn of praise (especially one sung in ancient Greece to invoke or thank a deity)