halcyon
Use Halcyon in a sentence
adjective Also, hal·cy·o·ni·an [hal-see-oh-nee-uh
n] , hal·cy·on·ic [hal-see-on-ik] .
[hal-see-oh-nee-uhn] , hal·cy·on·ic [hal-see-on-ik] . 1.
calm; peaceful; tranquil: halcyon weather.
2.
rich; wealthy; prosperous: halcyon times of peace.
3.
happy; joyful; carefree: halcyon days of youth.
4.
of or pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher.
noun
5.
a mythical bird, usually identified with the kingfisher, said to breed about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea, and to have the power of charming winds and waves into calmness.
6.
any of various kingfishers, especially of the genus Halcyon.
7.
00:10
Halcyon
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is odious. Does it mean:
| deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable. |
| good-humored ridicule or banter |
Origin:
1350–1400; < Latin < Greek halkyṓn, pseudo-etymological variant of alkyṓn kingfisher; replacing Middle English alceon, alicion < Latin alcyōn < Greek
1350–1400; < Latin < Greek halkyṓn, pseudo-etymological variant of alkyṓn kingfisher; replacing Middle English alceon, alicion < Latin alcyōn < Greek
Synonyms
1. serene, placid, pacific, untroubled.
1. serene, placid, pacific, untroubled.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To halcyon
Collins
World English Dictionary
halcyon (ˈhælsɪən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | peaceful, gentle, and calm |
| 2. | halcyonian, also: halcyonic happy and carefree |
| —n | |
| 3. | Greek myth a fabulous bird associated with the winter solstice |
| 4. | a poetic name for the kingfisher |
| 5. | halcyon days |
| a. a fortnight of calm weather during the winter solstice | |
| b. a period of peace and happiness | |
| [C14: from Latin alcyon, from Greek alkuōn kingfisher, of uncertain origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
halcyon
1545, in halcyon dayes (L. alcyonei dies, Gk. alkyonides hemerai), 14 days of calm weather at the winter solstice, when a mythical bird (identified with the kingfisher) was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. From halcyon (n.), 1390, from L. halcyon, from Gk. halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling)
of alkyon "kingfisher," from hals "sea, salt" + kyon "conceiving," prp. of kyein "to conceive," lit. "to swell," from PIE base *keue- "to swell." Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, who when widowed threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The halcyon days of terrestrial radio are over.
The new aircraft ordered in the halcyon days of an upswing will arrive-and have to be paid for-in the depths of a cyclical slump.
Those were the halcyon years, when I could match a company's quid with our quo.
Gone were the halcyon days of loose talk about the mighty upsurge in the output of consumer goods.
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