halcyon

[hal-see-uhn]

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adjective Also hal·cy·o·ni·an

[hal-see-oh-nee-uhn] /ˌhæl siˈoʊ ni ən/, hal·cy·on·ic

[hal-see-on-ik] /ˌhæl siˈɒn ɪk/.

calm; peaceful; tranquil: halcyon weather.
rich; wealthy; prosperous: halcyon times of peace.
happy; joyful; carefree: halcyon days of youth.

of or relating to the halcyon or kingfisher.

noun

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.
any of various kingfishers, especially of the genus Halcyon.
(initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. Alcyone(def 2).

Origin of halcyon

1350–1400; < Latin < Greek halkyṓn, pseudo-etymological variant of alkyṓn kingfisher; replacing Middle English alceon, alicion < Latin alcyōn < Greek

Synonyms for halcyon

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1. serene, placid, pacific, untroubled.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for halcyon

bucolic, still, pastoral, quiet, balmy, gentle, golden, happy, harmonious, serene, soothing, sunny, tranquil, untroubled, palmy

Examples from the Web for halcyon

Contemporary Examples of halcyon

In retrospect, 2009 and 2010 were halcyon days in the Middle East, now that we seem just one horseman short of an apocalypse.
The Myth of the Central Park Five
Edward Conlon
October 19, 2014
The halcyon days of Wolf, the third-wave feminist revolutionary and author of The Beauty Myth (1990), seem far, far away.
From ISIS to Ebola, What Has Made Naomi Wolf So Paranoid?
Michael Moynihan
October 11, 2014
Without a bribed official, a halcyon, or eagle, will watch the entry point with binoculars for patterns and opportunities.
The Devil’s Drug: The True Story of Meth in New Mexico
Nick Romeo
August 24, 2013
The mixed-media collection evokes nostalgia for halcyon days through fragmented images of the past.
Karen Kilimnik’s Magical Fantasyland, From Ballet to Baroque
Claire Stern
March 10, 2013
On the Impossible Past will transport you back to your halcyon, angsty teenage years.
Best Music Albums of 2012: Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift, and More
Marlow Stern
December 26, 2012

Historical Examples of halcyon

So it is that seamen love these birds and look for halcyon weather.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew
Josephine Preston Peabody
Since I have mentioned the Halcyon, I shall here describe it.
The History of Louisiana
Le Page Du Pratz
It was a new and halcyon vision of the way to spend one's declining years.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
The sea is calm, and the halcyon broods, and only love is eternal.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 86, December, 1864
Various
The days went by, days that were halcyon under love's own sunshine.
Cruel Barbara Allen
David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for halcyon

halcyon

adjective also: halcyonian (ˌhælsɪˈəʊnɪən), halcyonic (ˌhælsɪˈɒnɪk)

peaceful, gentle, and calm
happy and carefree

noun

Greek myth a fabulous bird associated with the winter solstice
a poetic name for the kingfisher
halcyon days
1. a fortnight of calm weather during the winter solstice
2. a period of peace and happiness

Word Origin for halcyon

C14: from Latin alcyon, from Greek alkuōn kingfisher, of uncertain origin

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

Word Origin and History for halcyon

adj.

1540s, in halcyon dayes (Latin alcyonei dies, Greek 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.), late 14c., from Latin halcyon, from Greek halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling) of alkyon "kingfisher," from hals "sea, salt" (see halo-) + kyon "conceiving," present participle of kyein "to conceive," literally "to swell," from PIE root *keue- "to swell." Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, who when widowed threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher.