Definitions for Pygmalion
pɪgˈmeɪ li ən, -ˈmeɪl yənpyg·malion

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.2 / 5 votes

1. Pygmalionnoun

   (Greek mythology) a king who created a statue of a woman and fell in love with it; Aphrodite brought the sculpture to life as Galatea

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 3 votes

1. pygmalionnoun

   One who acts as the legendary Greek sculptor Pygmalion (who was granted the wish of having life given to a sculpture of his which he loved a great deal), as in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion in which he sometimes refers to his main character (Henry Higgins) as Pygmalion Higgins.

2. pygmalionadjective

   Bloody (only in 'not pygmalion likely'), from the sensational, and then scandalous, line 'not bloody likely' in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pygmalion

   Pygmalion refers to a mythological story from ancient Greek literature, as well as a popular play by George Bernard Shaw. In the myth, Pygmalion is a sculptor who falls in love with a statue he created and eventually brings it to life through the power of his love. In a broader sense, "Pygmalion" has come to refer to the idea of someone or something proficient in transforming or uplifting others through their high expectations, belief in their potential, and dedication to their improvement. It also relates to the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy, where individuals tend to live up or down to the expectations others have of them. Additionally, "Pygmalion" can denote a complex process of social transformation, where an individual or group is shaped and molded into a different socio-cultural status through education, training, or guidance.

WikidataRate this definition:3.5 / 6 votes

1. Pygmalion

   Pygmalion is a 1912 play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological character. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of gentility, the most important element of which, he believes, is impeccable speech. The play is a sharp lampoon of the rigid British class system of the day and a commentary on women's independence. In ancient Greek mythology, Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures that came to life and was a popular subject for Victorian era English playwrights, including one of Shaw's influences, W. S. Gilbert, who wrote a successful play based on the story in 1871, called Pygmalion and Galatea. Shaw also would have been familiar with the burlesque version, Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed. Shaw's play has been adapted numerous times, most notably as the musical My Fair Lady and the film of that name.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. Pygmalion

   king of Cyprus, is said to have fallen in love with an ivory statue of a maiden he had himself made, and to have prayed Aphrodité to breathe life into it. The request being granted, he married the maiden and became by her the father of Paphus.

MythologyRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pygmalion

   (Pygma′lion). A famous sculptor who had resolved to remain unmarried, but he made such a beautiful statue of a goddess that he begged Venus to give it life. His request being granted, Pygmalion married the animated statue.

   “Few, like Pygmalion, doat on lifeless charms, Or care to clasp a statue in their arms.”

Matched Categories

1. • Greek Mythology
   • Mythical Being

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1795","2"],["1797","2"],["1827","1"],["1848","1"],["1867","1"],["1871","1"],["1921","202"],["1927","2"],["1929","34"],["1930","122"],["1931","38"],["1932","44"],["1933","1"],["1934","44"],["1936","2"],["1938","42"],["1939","39"],["1941","66"],["1942","1"],["1947","8"],["1948","40"],["1949","3"],["1952","1"],["1953","1"],["1956","1"],["1957","47"],["1958","1"],["1960","2"],["1962","123"],["1963","5"],["1964","4"],["1965","6"],["1967","3"],["1968","49"],["1969","4"],["1970","6"],["1971","14"],["1972","125"],["1973","8"],["1974","20"],["1975","66"],["1976","18"],["1977","35"],["1978","25"],["1979","36"],["1980","16"],["1981","102"],["1982","33"],["1983","29"],["1984","9"],["1985","20"],["1986","31"],["1987","14"],["1988","16"],["1989","18"],["1990","27"],["1991","29"],["1992","35"],["1993","47"],["1994","33"],["1995","15"],["1996","30"],["1997","39"],["1998","24"],["1999","22"],["2000","70"],["2001","19"],["2002","49"],["2003","38"],["2004","15"],["2005","74"],["2006","63"],["2007","116"],["2008","15"]]

Anagrams for Pygmalion »

1. maypoling

How to pronounce Pygmalion?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Pygmalion in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Pygmalion in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Pygmalion in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of Pygmalion in a Sentence

1. Celine Dion:

   He will be remembered as a gentle man, generous and kind, an unprecedented visionary, a modern Pygmalion, a Renaissance man.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Pygmalion
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pygmalion
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Pygmalion
5. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Pygmalion
6. ^ Mythology
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/42474/pg42474-images.html#:~:text=Pygmalion
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Pygmalion