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calypso

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calypso¹

  • /kəˈlɪp.səʊ/ UK
  • /kəˈlɪp.soʊ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪpsəʊ

Where it comes from

Originally Trinidad English, an alteration of kaiso, perhaps ultimately of African origin; Allsopp 1996 suggests Ibibio ka iso (“come on”), used to urge dancers on. The spelling reflects a later folk-etymological assimilation with the mythological name Calypso.

noun calypsos · calypsoes

  1. countable, uncountable A style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. 'How you does live, Mr. Wordsworth?' I asked him one day. He said, 'You mean how I get money?' When I nodded, he laughed in a crooked way. He said, 'I sing calypsoes in the calypso season.' 'And that last you the rest of the year?' 'It is enough.'
  2. countable, uncountable A song in this style of music.

verb calypsos · calypsoing · calypsoed

  1. intransitive To perform calypso.

calypso²

  • /kəˈlɪp.səʊ/ UK
  • /kəˈlɪp.soʊ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪpsəʊ

Where it comes from

From Latin, itself from Ancient Greek Καλυψώ (Kalupsṓ, “name of a sea nymph”)

noun calypsos · calypsoes

  1. countable, uncountable A bulbous bog orchid of the genus Calypso, Calypso bulbosa
  2. countable, uncountable A light blue color.

Calypso³

  • /kəˈlɪp.səʊ/ UK
  • /kəˈlɪp.soʊ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪpsəʊ

Where it comes from

From Ancient Greek Κᾰλῠψώ (Kălŭpsṓ).

proper noun

  1. Greek A sea nymph who entertained Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
  2. The eighth moon of Saturn.
  3. 53 Kalypso, a main belt asteroid; not to be confused with the Saturnian moon mentioned above.
  4. Alternative letter-case form of calypso

Translations

Every language

noun type of music and dance

Españolcalipso
Italianocalipso
Românăcalipso
Русскийкали́псо kalípso

name a sea nymph

EspañolCalipso
한국어칼립소 Kallipso
日本語カリュプソー Karyupusō
PortuguêsCalipso
FrançaisCalypso
DeutschKalypso
ItalianoCalipso
ΕλληνικάΚαλυψώ Kalypsó
РусскийКали́псо Kalípso

name a moon of Saturn

PortuguêsCalipso

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Cite this
MLA

"calypso." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/calypso. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

calypso. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/calypso

Chicago

"calypso." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/calypso.

BibTeX
@misc{calypso_2026,
  title = {calypso},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/calypso},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}