caryatid
[ kar-ee-at-id ]
/ ˌkær iˈæt ɪd /
noun, plural car·y·at·ids, car·y·at·i·des [kar-ee-at-i-deez] /ˌkær iˈæt ɪˌdiz/. Architecture.
a sculptured female figure used as a column.Compare atlas(def 5).
Nearby words
carving fork, carving knife, cary, cary, henry francis, cary, joyce, caryatid, caryl, caryn, caryo-, caryophyllaceous, caryopsis
Origin of caryatid
1555–65; < Latin Caryātides (singular Caryātis) < Greek Karyā́tides columns shaped like women, literally, women of Karýai, Laconia
Related formscar·y·at·i·dal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for caryatid
British Dictionary definitions for caryatid
caryatid
/ (ˌkærɪˈætɪd) /
noun plural -ids or -ides (-ɪˌdiːz)
a column, used to support an entablature, in the form of a draped female figureCompare telamon
Derived Formscaryatidal, caryatidean, caryatic or caryatidic (ˌkærɪəˈtɪdɪk), adjective
Word Origin for caryatid
C16: from Latin Caryātides, from Greek Karuatides priestesses of Artemis at Karuai (Caryae), village in Laconia
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for caryatid
caryatid
"carved female figure used as a column," 1560s, from Middle French cariatide, from Latin caryatides, from Greek Karyatides (singular Karyatis) "priestesses of Artemis at Caryae" (Greek Karyai), a town in Laconia where dance festivals were held in Artemis' temple.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper