I don't meen to steal
the thunder away from JadziaDax but I couldn't resist. I hope I do justice to his series
of threads.
The Word of the Day for October 11 is:
Callipygian • ka-l&-'pi-j(E-)&n or
cal·li·py·gous • /-'pI-g&s/
Function: (adjective)
Etymology: Greek kallipygos, from kalli- + pygE buttocks
Date: circa 1800
1.
Of, having, or pertaining to having a shapely buttocks.
Thomas Pynchon wrote this in 'Gravity's Rainbow': "Those dusky Afro-Scandinavian buttocks, which combine the
callipygian rondure observed among
the races
of the Dark Continent with
the taut and noble musculature
of sturdy Olaf, our blond Northern cousin".
The Callipygian Venus is a famous statue found in
the Museo Nationale in Naples, Italy ("
Callipygian Venus").
The Encyclopedia
of World Art describes its name as meaning " . . . she who is showing
the charms
of her uncovered buttocks" ("Sex" 12: 904). And that is exactly what she appears to be doing as she pulls her toga up around her waist to show she isn't even wearing knickers and looks over her shoulder as if to say "you ever seen a set of buttocks that looks any better than this, my friend?" Her vanity is justified as
the exposed anatomy proves to be every bit as enticingly and magnificently firm, smooth, round, fresh, young, and succulent looking as could ever be formed by a mere mortal man in a material so unsuitable as
the finest marble on Earth (whew) ("Sex" 12: plate 564). In fact, it is such an attractive posterior that this could explain why "
callipygian" has become exclusively attached to
the feminine gender. While
the definition
of the word does not exclude males, it has never come to be used in reference to them.
The male buttocks do not seem to have
the same breadth
of cultural meaning to humans as those
of the female's.
The main social importance
of male buttocks has been in
the area
of administered justice.
Note: this is not to be confused with steatopygous, which is an excessive development
of fat on
the buttocks that occurs especially among women
of the Hottentots and some black peoples.
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