calliope

[ kuh-lahy-uh-pee; for 1 also kal-ee-ohp ]

/ kəˈlaɪ ə pi; for 1 also ˈkæl iˌoʊp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR calliope ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called steam organ. a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard.

(initial capital letter) Also Kalliope. Classical Mythology. the Muse of heroic poetry.

RELATED WORDS

organ

Nearby words

calligrapher, calligraphy, callimachus, calling, calling card, calliope, calliopean, calliopsis, callipash, calliper, calliper rule

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for calliope

Just promises and a run around the rim, that's all, when I've got enough in me to be helpin' to work the calliope in the inside.
The Lash|Olin L. Lyman
So we six filed into the dining room to serve whomever Calliope had found "to do for."
Friendship Village|Zona Gale
Thus, to Calliope and me, the time held a tragic meaning beneath the exterior of our simple cheer.
Friendship Village|Zona Gale
This is the best show we've had since the calliope blew up and killed the elephant in the circus when I was seven years old.
Otherwise Phyllis|Meredith Nicholson

The circus might come to town, have the big parade and go, without their catching a sight of the camels or a note of the calliope.
The New Freedom|Woodrow Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for calliope (1 of 2)

calliope

/ (kəˈlaɪəpɪ) /

noun

US and Canadian a steam organ

Word Origin for calliope

C19: after Calliope (literally: beautiful-voiced)

British Dictionary definitions for calliope (2 of 2)

Calliope

/ (kəˈlaɪəpɪ) /

noun

Greek myth the Muse of epic poetry

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