Callipygian

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Callipygian

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri Sep 05, 2014 11:23 pm

• callipygian •

Pronunciation: kæ-lê-pi-jee-ên • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Having or otherwise pertaining to well-proportioned, shapely buttocks.

Notes: This funny though felicitous word expresses our appreciation of the human anatomy, which tends to be fixed on a few specific regions. Not only is this word a polite way to refer to this alluring physiognomic characteristic, but a euphonious (pleasant-sounding) one to boot.

In Play: This is a word we can all use fearlessly, "The ever-observant Marian Kine lingered a slight moment in the bookstore to more fully calculate the callipygian young man reaching for tomes on the upper shelves." Age can damage or improve this characteristic of our bodies: "The passing years had remolded Gloria Sass's figure into that of a zaftig woman of eminent callipygian luxuriance."

Word History: This funny but lovely word is based on Greek kallipygos, a compound comprising kallos "beauty" + pyge "buttocks". Neither of these words seems to have roots. Kallos could hardly be related to Latin callus "hardened skin" and, although it resembles English hallow, most etymologists (word historians) think that word is unrelated. If pyge were related to any English word, it would be an obscenity in our beloved language. As such, it would not have been printed until recently (since the media made obscenities fashionable), making tracing its history impossible.
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George Kovac

Re: Callipygian

Postby George Kovac » Sat Sep 06, 2014 12:23 pm

This indeed is a "funny but lovely word."

Dan Neil writes auto reviews for the Wall Street Journal. Not a genre you would expect to afford much opportunity for felicitous writing. But with irony, wit and precision, Neil finds ways to make his car essays worth reading, even if you are not really shopping for a 911 Carrera 4S.

Here is an example of his cheeky writing: “The coupe’s wider rear track and callipygian hindquarters invited bigger rear tires, and Caddy’s ride-and-handling guys retuned the rear suspension to take advantage of the upsized tires’ lateral grip.” Dan Neil “Cadillac Sculpts One Sharp Coupe—on the Outside” Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2010.


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