[kuh-lip-soh] 
noun, plural -sos, verb | 1. | Also, Kalypso. Classical Mythology. a sea nymph who detained Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for seven years. |
| 2. | (lowercase ) Also called fairy-slipper. a terrestrial orchid, Calypso bulbosa, of the Northern Hemisphere, having a single variegated purple, yellow, and white flower. |
| 3. | (lowercase) a musical style of West Indian origin, influenced by jazz, usually having topical, often improvised, lyrics. |
| 4. | (lowercase) to sing or dance to calypso. |
[kuh-lip-soh-nee-uhn, kal-ip-] , noun, adjective | ca·lyp·so (kə-lĭp'sō) n. pl. ca·lyp·sos A terrestrial orchid (Calypso bulbosa) native to northern temperate regions, having a rose-pink flower with an inflated pouchlike lip usually marked with white, purple, and yellow. [Probably Latin Calypsō, Calypso; see Calypso1.] |
| Ca·lyp·so 1 (kə-lĭp'sō) n.
[Latin Calypsō, from Greek Kalupsō, from kaluptein, to conceal; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
| Ca·lyp·so 2 or ca·lyp·so (kə-lĭp'sō) n. pl. Ca·lyp·sos or ca·lyp·sos also Ca·lyp·soes or ca·lyp·soes A type of music that originated in the West Indies, notably in Trinidad, and is characterized by improvised lyrics on topical or broadly humorous subjects. [Origin unknown.] Ca·lyp·so'ni·an (kə-lĭp-sō'nē-ən, kāl'ĭp-) n. |
Calypso
in Greek mythology, the daughter of the Titan Atlas (or Oceanus or Nereus), a nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia. In Homer's Odyssey, Book V (also Books I and VII), she entertained the Greek hero Odysseus for seven years, but she could not overcome his longing for home even by promising him immortality. At last the god Hermes was sent by Zeus, the king of the gods, to ask her to release Odysseus. According to Hesiod's Theogony, she bore Odysseus twin sons, Nausithous and Nausinous.
Learn more about Calypso with a free trial on Britannica.com.