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halcyon

 - 4 dictionary results
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hal⋅cy⋅on

  [hal-see-uhn]
–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).
Use halcyon in a Sentence
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.
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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. 2010.
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.
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Word Origin & History

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
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