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calliope

[kuh-lahy-uh-pee; for 1 also kal-ee-ohp]
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noun
  1. Also called steam organ. a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard.
  2. (initial capital letter) Also Kalliope. Classical Mythology. the Muse of heroic poetry.
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Origin of calliope

1855–60, Americanism; < Latin < Greek Kalliópē, equivalent to kalli- calli- + op- (stem of óps) voice + -ē feminine ending
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

organ, calliope

Examples from the Web for calliope

Historical Examples

  • His father was Apollo, the god of music and of song, his mother the muse Calliope.

    A Book of Myths

    Jean Lang

  • The man inside the calliope, the fireman, was too industrious.

  • "No need to go to the table if you don't want," Calliope told her.

  • When we stepped out in the snow again, Calliope's face was shining.

  • "Sounds like it'd go down awful easy," admitted Calliope, smiling.

British Dictionary definitions for calliope

calliope

noun
  1. US and Canadian a steam organ
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Word Origin

C19: after Calliope (literally: beautiful-voiced)

Calliope

noun
  1. Greek myth the Muse of epic poetry
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for calliope

n.

1858, "steam-whistle keyboard organ," named for Calliope, ninth and chief muse, presiding over eloquence and epic poetry, Latinized from Greek Kalliope, literally "beautiful-voiced," from kalli-, combining form of kallos "beauty" + opos (genitive of *ops) "voice," related to Latin vox (see voice (n.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper