calypso

Ca·lyp·so

Use calypso in a sentence

Calypso is music from the Carribean.

adjective

The definition of calypso is a type of improvised music sung by the native people of Trinidad.
An example of calypso is Carribean world music.

noun

Calypso is defined as a sea nymph character from Homer's Odyssey.
An example of Calypso is the character in Odyssey who keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years.
A Calypso is a pink orchid flower with purple or yellow marks.
An example of a Calypso is an orchid found in the forests of Washington state.

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"calypso." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso>.

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calypso. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso

calypso

designating or of songs improvised and sung as originally by the native people of Trinidad: they are satirical ballads, usually topical, characterized by wrenched syllabic stress and syncopated rhythms

Origin of calypso

altered from uncertain or unknown; perhaps Trinidad patois kaiso, town crier, who gave news in rhythm and doggerel

noun

pl. -·sos

a calypso song or calypso music

Calypso

in Homer's Odyssey, a sea nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years
pl. -·sos[c-] an orchid (Calypso bulbosa) growing in boggy regions of the Northern Hemisphere: its solitary pink flower has purple or yellow markings

Origin of Calypso

Classical Latin from Classical Greek Kalyps? from kalyptein: see calyptra

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"calypso." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso>.

APA Style

calypso. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso

calypso

noun

pl. ca·lyp·sos

A terrestrial orchid (Calypso bulbosa) native to northern temperate regions, having a rose-pink flower with an inflated pouchlike lip usually marked with white, purple, and yellow.

Origin of calypso

Probably Latin Calypsō Calypso ; see Calypso ¹.

calypso

Calypso bulbosa

Calypso

noun

Greek Mythology

A sea nymph who delayed Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.

Origin of Calypso

Latin Calypsō from Greek Kalupsō from kaluptein to conceal ; see kel-¹ in Indo-European roots.

Calypso

or ca·lyp·so

noun

pl. Ca·lyp·sos, or ca·lyp·sos also Ca·lyp·soes or ca·lyp·soes

A type of music that originated in the West Indies, notably in Trinidad, and is characterized by improvised lyrics on topical or broadly humorous subjects.

Origin of Calypso

Probably alteration (influenced by Calypso ¹ in reference to the nymph's island home ) of Caribbean English kaliso variant of kariso variant of kaiso bravo (shout of approval for a Calypsonian's performance), Calypso music from ka iso! shout of encouragement with which West Indian slaves accompanied singers singing satirical songs about plantation owners and overseers from Efik ka isu go on (imperative form) ( from ka go, advance ) ( isu face, front, forward ) and its Ibibio equivalent kaa iso

Related Forms:

Ca·lyp·so′ni·an
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"calypso." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso>.

APA Style

calypso. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso

Noun

(plural calypsos or calypsoes)

A type of music and dance that originated in the West Indies (perhaps Trinidad), a ballad is characterized by improvised lyrics on topical or broadly humorous subjects, often creating satire of current events.

Origin

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.

Noun

(plural calypsos or calypsoes)

A bulbous bog orchid of the genus Calypso, Calypso bulbosa
A light blue color.

Origin

From Latin, itself from Ancient Greek Καλυψώ (Kalypsō, “name of a sea nymph”)

Proper noun

(Greek mythology) A sea nymph who entertained Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
(astronomy) The eighth moon of Saturn.
Alternative capitalization of calypso.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"calypso." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso>.

APA Style

calypso. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/calypso

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