Calliope

How to say it

/kəˈlaɪ.ə.pi/

What it means

Greek, 'beautiful voice,' from kallos, 'beauty,' plus ops, 'voice'; the muse of epic poetry.

Calliope joins the Greek kallos, 'beauty,' to ops, 'voice,' so 'beautiful voice.' She was the eldest of the nine Muses, the one who inspired epic poetry and Homer himself. The name also rides on the calliope, a steam-powered fairground organ. Grand and musical, it softens to Callie. Said kuh-LY-uh-pee.

Heads-up notes

• Nickname

  Callie.

• Pronunciation

  Four syllables: kuh-LY-uh-pee.

Spelling variants

• Kalliope
• Calliopi

Names with the same feeling

• Penelope Weaver, or 'duck'
• Ophelia Help, benefit
• Daphne Laurel
• Juniper Juniper tree
• Aurora Dawn

See Calliope from another angle