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• Calypso
  Calypso

  noun

  Also Kalypso a sea nymph who detained Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for seven years.
• calypso
  calypso

  noun

  a popular type of satirical, usually topical, West Indian ballad, esp from Trinidad, usually extemporized to a percussive syncopated accompaniment

Calypso

American  

[kuh-lip-soh] / kəˈlɪp soʊ /

noun

Calypsos plural

1. Classical Mythology. Also Kalypso a sea nymph who detained Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for seven years.

2. Also called fairy-slipper.  (lowercase) a terrestrial orchid, Calypso bulbosa, of the Northern Hemisphere, having a single variegated purple, yellow, and white flower.

3. (lowercase) a musical style of West Indian origin, influenced by jazz, usually having topical, often improvised, lyrics.

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verb (used without object)

1. (lowercase) to sing or dance to calypso.

calypso ¹ British  

/ kəˈlɪpsəʊ /

noun

1. a popular type of satirical, usually topical, West Indian ballad, esp from Trinidad, usually extemporized to a percussive syncopated accompaniment

2. a dance done to the rhythm of this song

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Calypso ² British  

/ kəˈlɪpsəʊ /

noun

1. Greek myth (in Homer's Odyssey ) a sea nymph who detained Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for seven years

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calypso ³ British  

/ kəˈlɪpsəʊ /

noun

1. a rare N temperate orchid, Calypso (or Cytherea ) bulbosa, whose flower is pink or white with purple and yellow markings

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• calypsonian
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• Calypsos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Calypso

The name of the musical style is of obscure origin and perhaps only copies the spelling of Calypso the sea nymph

Example Sentences

The sources close to the deal said that is in line with what Thoma Bravo paid combined for regulatory software firm AxiomSL and financial software maker Calypso, which it merged into Adenza.

From Reuters • Jun. 22, 2023

She died on board the ship Calypso when close to the islands, and they brought her body ashore.

From BBC • May 17, 2023

Woodside Energy, an Australian company, is developing Calypso with BP.

From New York Times • May 15, 2023

The success of "Calypso" marked the first major surge in Belafonte's career after years of struggling in the New York City theater scene alongside Poitier.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2023

Meantime Hermes had gone to carry Zeus’s command to Calypso.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton