calypso

See also: Calypso

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ku̇lĭpʹsō, IPA^(key): /kəˈlɪp.səʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) enPR: kəlĭpʹsō, IPA^(key): /kəˈlɪp.soʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɪpsəʊ

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

calypso (countable and uncountable, plural calypsos or calypsoes)

1. 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.
   • 1959, V. S. Naipaul, “B. Wordsworth”, in Miguel Street:

     '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.'

2. A song in this style of music.

Derived terms

• buffalypso
• cadence-lypso
• calypso coffee
• calypsolike
• calypso-like
• calypsonian
• gospelypso
• rapso
• soca

Translations

type of music and dance

• Bulgarian: кали́псо f (kalípso)
• Catalan: calipso
• Esperanto: kalipso
• Finnish: calypso (fi)
• Italian: calipso m
• Romanian: calipso n
• Russian: кали́псо (ru) n (kalípso)
• Slovak: kalypso n
• Spanish: calipso (es) m
• Swedish: calypso (sv) c

See also

• kaiso

Verb

calypso (third-person singular simple present calypsos, present participle calypsoing, simple past and past participle calypsoed)

1. (intransitive) To perform calypso.

Further reading

• Calypso music on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

calypso (Calypso bulbosa)

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

Noun

calypso (countable and uncountable, plural calypsos or calypsoes)

1. A bulbous bog orchid of the genus Calypso, Calypso bulbosa
2. A light blue color. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

   calypso:  

Translations

Calypso bulbosa

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: neidonkenkä (fi)
• Swedish: norna (sv) c

Further reading

• Calypso (orchid) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “calypso” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC.

Anagrams

• cosplay

Finnish

Etymology

< English calypso

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑlypso/, [ˈkɑ̝lyps̠o̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑlypso

Noun

calypso

1. calypso (style of music)

Declension

Inflection of calypso (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)
nominative		calypso	calypsot
genitive		calypson	calypsojen calypsoiden calypsoitten
partitive		calypsoa	calypsoja calypsoita
illative		calypsoon	calypsoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		calypso	calypsot
accusative	nom.	calypso	calypsot
	gen.	calypson
genitive		calypson	calypsojen calypsoiden calypsoitten
partitive		calypsoa	calypsoja calypsoita
inessive		calypsossa	calypsoissa
elative		calypsosta	calypsoista
illative		calypsoon	calypsoihin
adessive		calypsolla	calypsoilla
ablative		calypsolta	calypsoilta
allative		calypsolle	calypsoille
essive		calypsona	calypsoina
translative		calypsoksi	calypsoiksi
abessive		calypsotta	calypsoitta
instructive		—	calypsoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of calypso (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative calypsoni calypsoni accusative nom. calypsoni calypsoni gen. calypsoni genitive calypsoni calypsojeni calypsoideni calypsoitteni partitive calypsoani calypsojani calypsoitani inessive calypsossani calypsoissani elative calypsostani calypsoistani illative calypsooni calypsoihini adessive calypsollani calypsoillani ablative calypsoltani calypsoiltani allative calypsolleni calypsoilleni essive calypsonani calypsoinani translative calypsokseni calypsoikseni abessive calypsottani calypsoittani instructive — — comitative — calypsoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative calypsosi calypsosi accusative nom. calypsosi calypsosi gen. calypsosi genitive calypsosi calypsojesi calypsoidesi calypsoittesi partitive calypsoasi calypsojasi calypsoitasi inessive calypsossasi calypsoissasi elative calypsostasi calypsoistasi illative calypsoosi calypsoihisi adessive calypsollasi calypsoillasi ablative calypsoltasi calypsoiltasi allative calypsollesi calypsoillesi essive calypsonasi calypsoinasi translative calypsoksesi calypsoiksesi abessive calypsottasi calypsoittasi instructive — — comitative — calypsoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative calypsomme calypsomme accusative nom. calypsomme calypsomme gen. calypsomme genitive calypsomme calypsojemme calypsoidemme calypsoittemme partitive calypsoamme calypsojamme calypsoitamme inessive calypsossamme calypsoissamme elative calypsostamme calypsoistamme illative calypsoomme calypsoihimme adessive calypsollamme calypsoillamme ablative calypsoltamme calypsoiltamme allative calypsollemme calypsoillemme essive calypsonamme calypsoinamme translative calypsoksemme calypsoiksemme abessive calypsottamme calypsoittamme instructive — — comitative — calypsoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative calypsonne calypsonne accusative nom. calypsonne calypsonne gen. calypsonne genitive calypsonne calypsojenne calypsoidenne calypsoittenne partitive calypsoanne calypsojanne calypsoitanne inessive calypsossanne calypsoissanne elative calypsostanne calypsoistanne illative calypsoonne calypsoihinne adessive calypsollanne calypsoillanne ablative calypsoltanne calypsoiltanne allative calypsollenne calypsoillenne essive calypsonanne calypsoinanne translative calypsoksenne calypsoiksenne abessive calypsottanne calypsoittanne instructive — — comitative — calypsoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative calypsonsa calypsonsa accusative nom. calypsonsa calypsonsa gen. calypsonsa genitive calypsonsa calypsojensa calypsoidensa calypsoittensa partitive calypsoaan calypsoansa calypsojaan calypsoitaan calypsojansa calypsoitansa inessive calypsossaan calypsossansa calypsoissaan calypsoissansa elative calypsostaan calypsostansa calypsoistaan calypsoistansa illative calypsoonsa calypsoihinsa adessive calypsollaan calypsollansa calypsoillaan calypsoillansa ablative calypsoltaan calypsoltansa calypsoiltaan calypsoiltansa allative calypsolleen calypsollensa calypsoilleen calypsoillensa essive calypsonaan calypsonansa calypsoinaan calypsoinansa translative calypsokseen calypsoksensa calypsoikseen calypsoiksensa abessive calypsottaan calypsottansa calypsoittaan calypsoittansa instructive — — comitative — calypsoineen calypsoinensa

Further reading

• “calypso”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 14 May 2026

French

Noun

calypso m (plural calypsos)

1. calypso

Further reading

• “calypso”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English calypso.

Noun

calypso n (plural calypsouri)

1. calypso

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	calypso	calypsoul	calypsouri	calypsourile
genitive-dative	calypso	calypsoului	calypsouri	calypsourilor
vocative	calypsoule		calypsourilor

Swedish

Noun

calypso c

1. calypso (type of music or dance)

   en glad calypso om våren

   a happy calypso in spring

Declension

Declension of calypso

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	calypso	calypsos
	definite	calypson	calypsons
plural	indefinite	calypsor	calypsors
	definite	calypsorna	calypsornas

References

• “calypso”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “calypso”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)