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View synonyms for caryatid

caryatid

[ kar-ee-at-id ]

noun

, Architecture.
, plural car·y·at·ids, car·y·at·i·des [kar-ee-, at, -i-deez].
  1. a sculptured female figure used as a column. Compare atlas ( def 5 ).


caryatid

/ ˌkærɪˈætɪd; ˌkærɪəˈtɪdɪk /

noun

  1. a column, used to support an entablature, in the form of a draped female figure Compare telamon
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌcaryˈatidal, adjective
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Other Words From

  • cary·ati·dal adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of caryatid1

1555–65; < Latin Caryātides (singular Caryātis ) < Greek Karyā́tides columns shaped like women, literally, women of Karýai, Laconia
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Word History and Origins

Origin of caryatid1

C16: from Latin Caryātides, from Greek Karuatides priestesses of Artemis at Karuai (Caryae), village in Laconia
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Example Sentences

In ancient Greece, the culture where male athletes were so highly prized as heroic citizens, a caryatid was a draped female figure used instead of a column as an architectural support.

In it, she and Cardi B dress in Grecian goddess-inspired dresses, dance in front of classically inspired statuary, wear headdresses that evoke caryatids and transform into Grecian vases.

From Salon

Adjaye likens it to a caryatid, a statue that held up roofs in classical architecture.

Their style also separates them from the typical caryatids that visitors might see elsewhere.

Their eccentric profile, isolated against white, forms a kind of muscular torso, not unlike Matisse’s 1909 “Bather,” striding through water, or one of Modigliani’s caryatids.

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