Myth & LegendGreek → English
Calypso
/kəˈlɪpsoʊ/proper noun
The nymph of Homer's Odyssey who kept Odysseus hidden on her island for seven years.
The Greek roots
καλύπτω
kalýptō
to cover, conceal
Literally: “the concealer”
Follow a root:καλύπτω1 word
The story of the word
Καλυψώ is built on καλύπτω, to cover or hide, and she does precisely that: she conceals Odysseus on Ogygia for seven years and offers him immortality if he will stay. The same verb gives apocalypse, an uncovering, and eucalyptus, named in the 1780s for the neat cap that covers the flower bud until it opens. The Caribbean music called calypso is almost certainly unrelated, with West African origins proposed instead.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Same family
apocalypseeucalyptus
In a sentence
Calypso gets one book of the poem and more sympathy from modern readers than from Homer.
Cousteau named his ship Calypso, which fits a vessel that spent its life over hidden things.