Avalon

or Av·al·lon

[av-uh-lon]

noun Celtic Legend.

an island, represented as an earthly paradise in the western seas, to which King Arthur and other heroes were carried at death.

Origin of Avalon

< Medieval Latin (insula) avallonis (Geoffrey of Monmouth) (island) of Avallon, literally, apple tree (island) < a British Celtic stem for apple tree, cognate with Welsh afall (plural collective), Middle Breton avallenn (singular), Old Irish aball (feminine) < *ǫbǫl-n-, cognate with Slavic *(j)ablanĭ; see apple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for avalon

Contemporary Examples of avalon

In The Fall of Arthur, when Tolkien writes of Avalon, he means that same elvish island.
Tolkien’s Unfinished Epic: ‘The Fall of Arthur’
John Garth
May 23, 2013

Historical Examples of avalon

So he ordered his loyal vassal to take his sword to the island of Avalon.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
But the spirit of Avalon, like the climate, is something to love.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
We have tried to introduce principles of the Tuna Club of Avalon.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
Avalon has a singular charm outside of its sport of fishing.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
Avalon County appreciates the compliment,—if I may be permitted to answer for it.
Mr. Crewe's Career, Complete
Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for avalon

Avalon

noun

Celtic myth an island paradise in the western seas: in Arthurian legend it is where King Arthur was taken after he was mortally wounded

Word Origin for Avalon

from Medieval Latin insula avallonis island of Avalon, from Old Welsh aballon apple

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012