caryatid

[kar-ee-at-id]

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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).

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

Related Words for caryatid

monument, cylinder, monolith, buttress, totem, pedestal, support, prop, brace, obelisk, standard, upright, post, stay, pier, shaft, mast, tower, colonnade, pilaster

Examples from the Web for caryatid

Historical Examples of caryatid

The one on this side is resigned, and as beautiful as a caryatid.
Rodin: The Man and his Art
Judith Cladel
She stands in the field like a caryatid, like a symbol of fertile nature.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 2 (of 4)
Richard Muther
I do not know its history, though some one assured me that it was a caryatid.
The Near East
Robert Hichens
It stood probably in the portico and may have served as a Caryatid.
Problems in Periclean Buildings
G. W. Elderkin
A restricted use of the Caryatid Porch is a certain inference from the following facts.
Problems in Periclean Buildings
G. W. Elderkin

British Dictionary definitions for caryatid

caryatid

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for 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.