calypso

C3A1L1Y4P3S1O1
UK/kəˈlɪp.səʊ/US/kəˈlɪp.soʊ/

noun

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.

Similar
fairy-slipperCalypso bulbosa
Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

calypso1

nouncalypso (countable and uncountable, plural calypsos or calypsoes)

plural calypsos · plural calypsoes

  1. countableuncountableA 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.'

    1959, V. S. Naipaul, “B. Wordsworth”, in Miguel Street
  2. countableuncountableA song in this style of music.
verbcalypso (third-person singular simple present calypsos, present participle calypsoing, simple past and past participle calypsoed)

present singular third person calypsos · participle present calypsoing · participle past calypsoed · past calypsoed

  1. intransitiveTo perform calypso.

calypso2

nouncalypso (countable and uncountable, plural calypsos or calypsoes)

plural calypsos · plural calypsoes

  1. countableuncountableA bulbous bog orchid of the genus Calypso, Calypso bulbosa
  2. countableuncountableA light blue color.

Calypso3

proper noun
  1. Greekhuman sciencesA sea nymph who entertained Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
  2. astronomyThe eighth moon of Saturn.
  3. astronomy53 Kalypso, a main belt asteroid; not to be confused with the Saturnian moon mentioned above.
  4. Alternative letter-case form of calypso.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounrare north temperate bog orchid bearing a solitary white to pink flower marked with purple at the tip of an erect reddish stalk above 1 basal leaf

Similar
fairy-slipperCalypso bulbosa
Broader
orchidorchidaceous plant

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

calypso · noun, verb

  1. Ibibioka iso“come on”
  2. Englishcalypso

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.

Full word history & related roots →

calypso · noun

  1. Ancient GreekΚαλυψώ“name of a sea nymph”
  2. Englishcalypso

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

Full word history & related roots →

Calypso · proper noun

  1. Ancient GreekΚᾰλῠψώ
  2. EnglishCalypso

From Ancient Greek Κᾰλῠψώ (Kălŭpsṓ).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Καλυψώ
  • Καλυψώ (Kalupsṓ)a sea nymph
Bulgarian кали́псо, Кали́псо
  • кали́псо (kalípso)type of music and dance
  • Кали́псо (Kalípso)a sea nymph
  • Кали́псо (Kalípso)a moon of Saturn
  • Кали́псо (Kalípso)asteroid
Catalan calipso
  • calipsotype of music and dance
Esperanto kalipso
  • kalipsotype of music and dance
Finnish calypso, neidonkenkä
  • calypsotype of music and dance
  • neidonkenkäCalypso bulbosa
French Calypso
  • Calypsoa sea nymph
German Kalypso
  • Kalypsoa sea nymph
Greek Καλυψώ
  • Καλυψώ (Kalypsó)a sea nymph
Hungarian Kalüpszó
  • Kalüpszóa sea nymph
Italian calipso, Calipso
  • calipsotype of music and dance
  • Calipsoa sea nymph
Japanese カリュプソー
  • カリュプソー (Karyupusō)a sea nymph
Korean 칼립소
  • 칼립소 (Kallipso)a sea nymph
Latin Calypsō
  • Calypsōa sea nymph
Portuguese Calipso, Calipso
  • Calipsoa sea nymph
  • Calipsoa moon of Saturn
Romanian calipso
  • calipsotype of music and dance
Russian кали́псо, Кали́псо
  • кали́псо (kalípso)type of music and dance
  • Кали́псо (Kalípso)a sea nymph
Slovak kalypso
  • kalypsotype of music and dance
Spanish calipso, Calipso
  • calipsotype of music and dance
  • Calipsoa sea nymph
Swedish calypso, norna
  • calypsotype of music and dance
  • nornaCalypso bulbosa
  • Kalypsoa sea nymph
Ukrainian Каліпсо́
  • Каліпсо́ (Kalipsó)a sea nymph

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with calypso

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

calypso. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calypso

MLA

“calypso.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calypso. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calypso,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calypso.

Source: calypso on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.