Pygmalion
Statue-loving mythical king
Pygmalion is a figure from Greek mythology—a sculptor who carved a woman so beautiful he fell in love with her, and Aphrodite brought the statue to life.
The name now suggests someone who transforms or educates another person, especially a man refining a woman: He fancied himself her Pygmalion.
George Bernard Shaw's play *Pygmalion* (1913), adapted as *My Fair Lady*, cemented this meaning.
Ancient Roman poet
- MetamorphosesStories of radical change
- AphroditeGreek goddess of love
- CyprusMediterranean island nation
- ivoryTusk-derived material
statue · prayer · animation · sculptor · love · goddess · transformation · blessing
British-origin family name
- ElizaFemale name, divine oath
- HigginsIrish-origin family name
- DoolittleOne who idles
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
elocution · theater · stage · comedy · dialogue · script · performance · British
Tusk-derived material
- statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
- chiselEdged carving implement
- carvingShaping by cutting away
- marbleRecrystallized limestone rock
sculptor · artisan · craftsmanship · lifelike · masterpiece · creation · figure · pedestal
Greek goddess of love
- VenusLove goddess, or planet
- OvidAncient Roman poet
- CyprusMediterranean island nation
- MetamorphosesStories of radical change
Orpheus · Narcissus · Daedalus · Prometheus · Greek · Roman · goddess · divine
Profound biological restructuring
- animationTechnique creating movement illusion
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- transmutationComplete change of form
- changeTo make different
evolution · refinement · elevation · makeover · improvement · rebirth · transfiguration · creation
Belief about future outcomes
- self-fulfillingMaking itself happen
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- psychologyStudy of mind, behavior
- beliefTrust held as true
performance · education · teacher · student · motivation · outcome · influence · bias
Ovid
Ancient Roman poet
- MetamorphosesStories of radical change
- AphroditeGreek goddess of love
- CyprusMediterranean island nation
ivory · statue · prayer · animation · sculptor · love · goddess · transformation · blessing · devotion
Shaw
British-origin family name
phonetics · elocution · theater · stage · comedy · dialogue · script · performance · British · accent
ivory
Tusk-derived material
- statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
- chiselEdged carving implement
- carvingShaping by cutting away
marble · sculptor · artisan · craftsmanship · lifelike · masterpiece · creation · figure · pedestal · idealization
Aphrodite
Greek goddess of love
Metamorphoses · Orpheus · Narcissus · Daedalus · Prometheus · Greek · Roman · goddess · divine · intervention
metamorphosis
Profound biological restructuring
- animationTechnique creating movement illusion
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- transmutationComplete change of form
change · evolution · refinement · elevation · makeover · improvement · rebirth · transfiguration · creation · shaping
expectation
Belief about future outcomes
- self-fulfillingMaking itself happen
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- psychologyStudy of mind, behavior
belief · performance · education · teacher · student · motivation · outcome · influence · bias · potential
- ShawSaint Joan, Geneva, Eliza Doolittle, Henry Higgins, prefaces
- Greek mythologyZeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera, Poseidon
- Mythological WordsAchilles heel, Adonis, aegis, ambrosia, Apollo
- PlaysHamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear
- theatreBroadway, acting, theatre, stage, actor
- Class DramasPride and Prejudice, Downton Abbey, Great Expectations, My Fair Lady, Emma