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Photo (still) by Mislav Marohnic. Or is it? Yes it is. |
CALLIPYGIAN
Adjective. Late 18th century.
[from Greek kallipugos (epithet of the statue of Venus),
from kalli-, kallos beauty + puge buttocks: see -IAN.]
Pertaining to or having well-shaped buttocks.
Also:
callipygous adjective E20
What? More buttocks? And the same buttocks? Well, yes, they are the same buttocks from when I wrote about buttocks before, although with some crafty photoediting, I have changed it just enough that the average person won't realise it's the same picture. Go on - check; it's particularly gratifying if you quickly flick back and forth between the posts. Anyway, why have I used the same picture to illustrate callipygian? Well it is, first and foremost, a photo of a particularly callipygous pair of glutes, but secondly, do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a tasteful, not-overtly-sexualised, un-weird picture of a bottom? One that's suitable for Lexicolatry's high standards of taste and decorum? I'll tell you: it's very difficult indeed.
And callipygian is such a wonderful word - so classical and cultivated - that Lexicolatry could not possibly pass it by. Most early references to callipygian relate to the famous statue Venus Callipyge which, unsurprisingly, has a most callipygian (and emphasised) posterior itself. And, just like those Rumpy Romans and Gluteus Greeks, as we're still in the habit of commenting on and lauding people's callipygous qualities (J-Lo's bingo call springs firmly to mind), then we should at least have a good word for doing so. If we are going to do that. And I'm not saying that we should. Or that I do. Anyway ...
Are you callipygian?
Are J-Lo and Kylie truly worthy of their callipygous accolades?
Do please leave your most well-rounded, firmly-constructed thoughts below.
This is a delightful word indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel somehow obliged to report that my first reaction to opening this post was "hey...I've seen that bum somewhere before!"
Well played, Lexicolatry. Well played.
It's sub-buminal messaging.
DeleteWhat is the verb for someone who likes hairy buttocks please? I think it begins with a, b or c as I once tried to read the dictionary and I only got as far as c but I’m pretty sure liked of hairy buttocks was in there!
ReplyDelete