Pygmalion
- 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.
Examples from the Web for pygmalion
Contemporary Examples
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 ClassicMarlow Stern
January 29, 2014
The notion of handcrafting a flawless spouse was nothing new—the Pygmalion myth dates back to ancient Greece.
Historical Examples
Pygmalion's hoarded wealth is borne overseas; a woman leads the work.
The Aeneid of VirgilVirgil
The most remarkable piece that he produced was his comedy "Pygmalion" in 1775.
A Popular History of the Art of MusicW. S. B. Mathews
"Pygmalion got his Galathea" was a line in one of the songs.
The Sand-Hills of JutlandHans Christian Andersen
It is the love of a poet—a Pygmalion who loves his own creation.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13Elbert Hubbard
Famous for worship of Aphrodite and scene of story of Pygmalion.
A Literary and Historical Atlas of AsiaJ. G. Bartholomew
Pygmalion
- 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
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.
Pygmalion
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
Pygmalion
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”).