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kallos

Kallos (Greek: κάλλος) is an ancient Greek noun meaning beauty or splendor. It denotes beauty in a broad sense, including physical attractiveness, the beauty of form in art and nature, and, at times, the beauty of conduct or style. In classical literature and philosophy, kallos is a central aesthetic category used to describe how things appear and how they should be valued.

Etymology and usage: Kallos is derived from the adjective kalos, “beautiful.” As a noun, kallos often appears

Philosophical and cultural significance: Greek writers treat kallos not merely as surface attractiveness but as a

Legacy and modern language: The influence of kallos persists in modern English through bound forms and roots

See also: Kalokagathia.

in
descriptions
of
statues,
paintings,
landscapes,
and
the
beauty
of
persons,
but
it
also
enters
discussions
of
the
beauty
of
deeds
or
rhetoric.
In
many
texts,
kallos
is
considered
in
relation
to
virtue,
forming
part
of
the
ideal
kalokagathia—the
fusion
of
beauty
(kalos)
and
goodness
(agathos).
principle
influencing
taste,
judgment,
and
social
ideals.
The
concept
interacts
with
other
aesthetic
terms
such
as
eidos
(form)
and
arête
(excellence
or
virtue),
shaping
classical
ideas
about
the
ideal
balance
between
appearance
and
character.
that
appear
in
words
such
as
calligraphy
(from
kallos
+
graphein,
“beautiful
writing”)
and
kaleidoscope
(kalos
+
eidos
+
skopein,
“beautiful
form
to
view”).
In
contemporary
Greek,
the
term
still
relates
to
beauty,
though
its
classical
philosophical
uses
are
mainly
studied
in
scholarship.