Pygmalion

[pig-mey-lee-uh n, -meyl-yuh n]

noun

Classical Mythology. a sculptor and king of Cyprus who carved an ivory statue of a maiden and fell in love with it. It was brought to life, in response to his prayer, by Aphrodite.

(italics) a comedy (1912) by George Bernard Shaw.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pygmalion

On January 29, 1999—exactly 15 years ago—a modern day adaptation of Pygmalion was thrust on an unsuspecting public.
‘She’s All That' 15th Anniversary: Cast and Crew Reminisce About the Making of the ‘90s Classic|Marlow Stern|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The notion of handcrafting a flawless spouse was nothing new—the Pygmalion myth dates back to ancient Greece.
The Man Who Tried to Raise a Wife|Mythili Rao|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mythology tells us that Pygmalion became the lover of a statue of his own creation.
Urania|Camille Flammarion
Again, reverently as he had laid his offerings that day on the altar of Venus, Pygmalion kissed her lips.
A Book of Myths|Jean Lang

His request being granted, Pygmalion married the animated statue.
1000 Mythological Characters Briefly Described|Edward S. Ellis
A poet who would approach the subject of Pygmalion and his image ought to be gifted with tact and delicacy.
The Works of John Marston|John Marston
This feeling was no less cerebral and intellectual than it had been: she was no Galatea waiting her Pygmalion.
The Valiants of Virginia|Hallie Erminie Rives

British Dictionary definitions for pygmalion

Pygmalion

noun

Greek myth a king of Cyprus, who fell in love with the statue of a woman he had sculpted and which his prayers brought to life as Galatea

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 pygmalion

Pygmalion

also the Pygmalion word, a British euphemistic substitute for bloody in mid-20c. from its notorious use in Bernard Shaw's play of the same name (1914: "Walk? Not bloody likely!"). The Greek legend of the sculptor/goldsmith and the beautiful statue he made and wished to life, is centered on Cyprus and his name might ultimately be Phoenician.

Culture definitions for pygmalion

Pygmalion

[(pig-may-lee-uhn)]

In classical mythology, a sculptor who at first hated women but then fell in love with a statue he made of a woman. He prayed to Venus that she would find him a woman like the statue. Instead, Venus made the statue come to life.

Note

The play Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, adapts this theme: a professor trains a girl from the gutter to speak and behave like a lady, and then he and his new creation become attached to each other. This play became the basis for the musical comedy My Fair Lady.

Pygmalion

[(pig-mayl-yuhn, pig-may-lee-uhn) (1913)]

A play by George Bernard Shaw, about a professor, Henry Higgins, who trains a poor, uneducated girl, Eliza Doolittle, to act and speak like a lady. Shaw based his story on a tale from Greek mythology about a sculptor who carves a statue of a woman and falls in love with it (see under “Mythology and Folklore”).