Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries

halcyon

- 6 dictionary results

hal⋅cy⋅on

  [hal-see-uhn]
Use halcyon in a Sentence
–adjective Also, hal⋅cy⋅o⋅ni⋅an  [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, esp. of the genus Halcyon.
7. (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. Alcyone (def. 2).
Origin:
1350–1400; < L < Gk halkyn, pseudo-etymological var. of alkyn kingfisher; r. ME alceon, alicion < L alcyōn < Gk

Synonyms:
1. serene, placid, pacific, untroubled.

Al⋅cy⋅o⋅ne

  [al-sahy-uh-nee]
–noun
1. a third-magnitude star in the constellation Taurus: brightest star in the Pleiades.
2. Also, Halcyon, Halcyone. Classical Mythology. a daughter of Aeolus who, with her husband, Ceyx, was transformed into a kingfisher.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To halcyon
hal·cy·on   (hāl'sē-ən)   
n.  
  1. A kingfisher, especially one of the genus Halcyon.
  2. A fabled bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was supposed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves while it nested on the sea during the winter solstice.
adj.  
  1. Calm and peaceful; tranquil.
  2. Prosperous; golden: halcyon years.

[Middle English alcioun, from Latin alcyōn, halcyōn, from Greek halkuōn, a mythical bird, kingfisher, alteration (influenced by hals, salt, sea, and kuōn, conceiving) of alkuōn.]
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

Halcyon

Hal"cy*on\, n. [L. halcyon, alcyon, Gr.?: F. halcyon.] (Zo["o]l.) A kingfisher. By modern ornithologists restricted to a genus including a limited number of species having omnivorous habits, as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia.

Amidst our arms as quiet you shall be As halcyons brooding on a winter sea. --Dryden.

Halcyon

Hal"cy*on\, a. 1. Pertaining to, or resembling, the halcyon, which was anciently said to lay her eggs in nests on or near the sea during the calm weather about the winter solstice.

2. Hence: Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy. "Deep, halcyon repose." --De Quincy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

halcyon  (adj.)
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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see halcyon on Thesaurus | Reference