• callipygian •
Printable Version Pronunciation: kæ-lê-pi-j(ee)ên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Having or otherwise pertaining to well-proportioned, shapely buttocks
Notes: Today we have another felicitous means of expressing our localized appreciation of the human anatomy (see another recent one in the next section). Not only is this word a polite way to refer to this alluring physiognomic characteristic but a euphonious (pleasant-sounding) one, to boot. If you don't think this adjective is good enough for you, try callipygous [kæ-lê-pie-gês]; not nearly as euphonic.
In Play: This is a word we can all use fearlessly, "The ever-observant Maud Lynn Story lingered on in the library to peek over her book a bit more at the callipygian young man reaching for books on the upper shelves." Age can damage or improve this characteristic of our bodies, "The passing years had remolded Derry Yare's figure into that of a zaftig woman of enviable callipygian luxuriance."
Word History: Today's Good Word is based on Greek kallipygos, from kallos "beauty" + pyge "buttocks". The roots of these two words seem to have come from nowhere. It is hard to see how kallos could be related to Latin callus "hardened skin" and although it resembles English hallow, most etymologists (word historians) think them unrelated. Since PIE [*p] became [f] and [*g] became [k] in English, if pyge were related to any English word, it would be a common obscenity in our beloved language. However, because this word is obscene, it would not have been printed, making tracing its history impossible.
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