kouros

American  

[koor-os] / ˈkʊər ɒs /

noun

Greek Antiquity.

plural

kouroi

1. a sculptured representation of a young man, especially one produced prior to the 5th century b.c.

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Etymology

Origin of kouros

1915–20; < Greek koûros, dialectal variant of kóros boy; cf. kore

Example Sentences

But the most distinctive of the 55 antiquities returned to Greece by the Manhattan district attorney’s office this week was a 2,500-year-old sculpture of an athletic youth, known as a kouros, valued at $14 million.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2022

The artifacts included a sculpture of a young man from about 560 B.C., known as a kouros, that is worth $14 million, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2022

Sometimes I’m doing paintings and I could be doing anything, but it still looks like a kouros.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2021

It’s like watching a chrysalis become a butterfly: The prototypes are impressive, but the kouros is timeless; he might be about to breathe, move, speak.

From New York Times • May 17, 2015

“Now standing erect without external support, his closed hands fixed firmly to his thighs, the kouros expresses the confident vitality that is characteristic of the best of his brothers.”

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell