adjective
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of or characteristic of the countryside or country life; rustic
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of or relating to shepherds; pastoral
noun
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(sometimes plural) a pastoral poem, often in the form of a dialogue
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a rustic; farmer or shepherd
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bucolic
1525–35; < Latin būcolicus < Greek boukolikós rustic, equivalent to boukól ( os ) herdsman ( bou-, stem of boûs ox + -kolos keeper + -ikos -ic
Explanation
As an adjective, bucolic refers to an ideal country life that many yearn for. If your parents wanted to raise you in a bucolic environment, you may find yourself living 45 minutes away from the nearest movie theater or person your age. Not ideal. You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but bucolic is a distant relation of cow, and all bucolic’s meanings can be connected to the bovine creature. Bucolic ultimately comes from the Greek boukolos, cowherd or herdsman. A bucolic could be a short poem about pastoral (cow) life or a country person, who is stereotyped as a cowherd. Used as an adjective, bucolic can refer to an idealized rural life (think life with cows) or to herdsmen (more cows). And that’s no bull.
Vocabulary lists containing bucolic
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Words to Describe a Place
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bucolic yet posh, the inn offers three accommodation options: rustic rooms in the main lodge building; Scandinavian-inspired Lagoon rooms in a newer building; and spacious private cabins.
From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2022
Bucolic and far enough away from home to feel almost exotic!
From Washington Post • May 26, 2022
Bucolic splendor has its virtues; I enjoy listening to the loons cackle while canoeing about Nubanusit Lake as much as anyone.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2011
The TV show is part of their omnimedia approach to marketing, along with Mr. Kilmer-Purcell’s most recent book, “The Bucolic Plague.”
From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2010
Bucolic diaeresis, 368, 3, d -bulum, suffix, 147, 4. -bundus, suffix, 150, 1. būris, decl.,
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
