Skip to content
Everyday LifeGreekEnglish

Callista

/kəˈlɪstə/proper noun

A woman's name of Greek origin.

The Greek roots

καλλίστη
kallístē
most beautiful

Literally: the fairest

The story of the word

καλλίστη is the superlative of καλός, fairest of all. It is the exact word written on the golden apple that Eris rolled into a wedding feast she had not been invited to, τῇ καλλίστῃ, to the fairest, which three goddesses each claimed and which set the Trojan War in motion. Calligraphy and kaleidoscope carry the same root more peacefully.

How it travelled
Ancient Greek → Latin → English

Same family

calligraphykaleidoscopecallisthenicsCallisto

In a sentence

Callista shortened it to Callie at school and went back to the full version at thirty.

More from Everyday Life