Meanings
plural caryatids · plural caryatides
- A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head.
She wore on the top of her head an upright circular cap that made her resemble a caryatid disburdened, and on other parts of her person strange combinations of colours, stuffs, shapes, of metal, mineral and plant.
1901, Henry James, Flickerbridge
Origin
- Ancient GreekΚαρυάτιδες
- Latincaryatides
- Middle Frenchcariatide
- Englishcaryatid
From Middle French cariatide, from Latin caryatides, from Ancient Greek Καρυάτιδες (Karuátides), plural of Καρυᾶτις (Karuâtis, “a priestess of Artemis, female figures used as bearing-shafts”), from καρυατίζω (karuatízō, “dance the Karyatid festival dance”) from Καρύαι (Karúai, “a town in Laconia with a temple of Artemis and a festival”).
More words from Middle French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Καρυᾶτις
- Καρυᾶτις (Karuâtis)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Bulgarian кариатида
- кариатида (kariatida)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Catalan cariàtide
- cariàtidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Czech karyatida
- karyatidaa sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Danish karyatide
- karyatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Dutch kariatide
- kariatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Finnish karyatidi
- karyatidia sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
French cariatide, caryatide
- cariatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
- caryatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
German Karyatide
- Karyatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Greek Καρυάτις, καρυάτιδα
- Καρυάτις (Karyátis)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
- καρυάτιδα (karyátida)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Hungarian kariatida
- kariatidaa sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Irish cairiaitid
- cairiaitida sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Italian cariatide
- cariatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Latvian kariatīde
- kariatīdea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Norwegian Bokmål karyatide
- karyatidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Polish kariatyda
- kariatydaa sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Portuguese cariátide
- cariátidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Russian кариати́да
- кариати́да (kariatída)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Spanish cariátide
- cariátidea sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Swedish karyatid
- karyatida sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Ukrainian каріати́да
- каріати́да (kariatýda)a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element
Cite this entry
caryatid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caryatid
“caryatid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caryatid. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caryatid,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caryatid.
Source: caryatid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.