palinode means an ode or other poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem; (loosely) a recantation. It carries an Arena rating of 1737, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, palinode ranks #157 of 13,217 for Most Elegant Words, #171 of 13,217 for The Improbable, #258 of 13,217 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,115 of 13,217 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
palinode is pronounced /ˈpælɪnəʊd/.
Why “palinode” is a great word
A formal poem in which a poet recants a view or sentiment expressed in an earlier work. From the Ancient Greek πάλιν (pálin, "again") + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, "song"), via Latin palinōdia and Middle French palinod. Unlike a recantation, which is a general renunciation of belief, or a retraction, which corrects a factual claim, a palinode is a specific artistic revocation, a song that deliberately unsings its own melody. It is the ink-stained finger tracing a line only to erase it, the formal echo that refutes its own opening notes, the weary grace of walking a path in reverse to erase one's own footprints—a testament to the rare courage of disavowing one's own artistic truth.
Etymology
From Middle French palinod, from Latin palinōdia (“palinode, recantation”), from Ancient Greek παλινῳδία (palinōidía, “palinode”), from πάλιν (pálin, “again”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”).
noun
- An ode or other poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem; (loosely) a recantation.“... Balmawhapple could not, by the code of honour, evite giving satisfaction to ... Edward by such a palinode as rendered the use of the sword unnecessary, and which, being made and accepted, must necessarily sopite the whole affair.”
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