calypso Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun rare north temperate bog orchid bearing a solitary white to pink flower marked with purple at the tip of an erect reddish stalk above 1 basal leaf
    fairy-slipper; Calypso bulbosa.
  2. noun (Greek mythology) the sea nymph who detained Odysseus for seven years

WordNet


Ca*lyp"so noun
Etymology
The Latinized Greek name of a beautiful nymph.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A small and beautiful species of orchid, having a flower variegated with purple, pink, and yellow. It grows in cold and wet localities in the northern part of the United States. The Calypso borealis is the only orchid which reaches 68° N.

Webster 1913