calypso
UK /kəˈlɪp.səʊ/ · US /kəˈlɪp.soʊ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms calypsos calypsoes calypsoing calypsoed
- noun A style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century.
- noun A song in this style of music.
- verb (intransitive) To perform calypso.
- noun A bulbous bog orchid of the genus Calypso, Calypso bulbosa
- noun A light blue color.
- proper noun (Greek mythology) A sea nymph who entertained Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
- proper noun (astronomy) The eighth moon of Saturn.
- proper noun (astronomy) 53 Kalypso, a main belt asteroid; not to be confused with the Saturnian moon mentioned above.
Synonyms
Etymology
Originally Trinidad English, an alteration of kaiso, perhaps ultimately of African origin; Allsopp 1996 suggests Ibibio ka iso (“come on”), used to urge dancers on. The spelling reflects a later folk-etymological assimilation with the mythological name Calypso.
From Latin, itself from Ancient Greek Καλυψώ (Kalupsṓ, “name of a sea nymph”)
From Ancient Greek Κᾰλῠψώ (Kălŭpsṓ).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A small and beautiful species of orchid, having a flower variegated with purple, pink, and yellow. It grows in cold and wet localities in the northern part of the United States. The Calypso borealis is the only orchid which reaches 68º N.
Etymology [The Latinized Greek name of a beautiful nymph.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “calypso”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details