Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

bucolic

 - 3 dictionary results

bu⋅col⋅ic

[byoo-kol-ik]
–adjective Also, bu⋅col⋅i⋅cal.
1. of or pertaining to shepherds; pastoral.
2. of, pertaining to, or suggesting an idyllic rural life.
–noun
3. a pastoral poem.
4. Archaic. a farmer; shepherd; rustic.

Origin:
1525–35; < L būcolicus < Gk boukolikós rustic, equiv. to boukól(os) herdsman (bou-, s. of boûs ox + -kolos keeper + -ikos -ic


bu⋅col⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb


2, 3. georgic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To bucolic
bu·col·ic   (byōō-kŏl'ĭk)   
adj.  
  1. Of or characteristic of the countryside or its people; rustic. See Synonyms at rural.

  2. Of or characteristic of shepherds or flocks; pastoral.

n.  
  1. A pastoral poem.

  2. A farmer or shepherd; a rustic.


[Latin būcolicus, pastoral, from Greek boukolikos, from boukolos, cowherd : bous, cow; see gwou- in Indo-European roots + -kolos, herdsman; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
bu·col'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bucolic 
1523, from L. bucolicus, from Gk. boukolikos "rustic," from boukolos "herdsman," from bous "cow" + -kolos "tending," related to L. colere "to till (the ground), cultivate, dwell, inhabit" (the root of colony).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see bucolic on Thesaurus | Reference