pastoral

American  

[pas-ter-uhl, pah-ster-] / ˈpæs tər əl, ˈpɑ stər- /

adjective

1. having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas.

   pastoral scenery; the pastoral life.

   Synonyms:

   simple, rural, rustic

2. pertaining to the country or to life in the country; rural; rustic.

3. portraying or suggesting idyllically the life of shepherds or of the country, as a work of literature, art, or music.

   pastoral poetry; a pastoral symphony.

   Synonyms:

   idyllic, bucolic

4. of, relating to, or consisting of shepherds.

5. of or relating to a pastor or the duties of a pastor.

   pastoral visits to a hospital.

6. used for pasture, as land.

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noun

1. a poem, play, or the like, dealing with the life of shepherds, commonly in a conventional or artificial manner, or with simple rural life generally; a bucolic.

   Synonyms:

   georgic, idyll, eclogue

2. a picture or work of art representing the shepherds' life.

3. Music. pastorale.

4. a treatise on the duties of a pastor.

5. a letter to the people from their spiritual pastor.

6. a letter to the clergy or people of an ecclesiastical district from its bishop.

7. Also called pastoral staff.  crosier.

pastoral British  

/ ˈpɑːstərəl /

adjective

1. of, characterized by, or depicting rural life, scenery, etc

2. (of a literary work) dealing with an idealized form of rural existence in a conventional way

3. (of land) used for pasture

4. denoting or relating to the branch of theology dealing with the duties of a clergyman or priest to his congregation

5. of or relating to a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation or his duties as such

6. of or relating to a teacher's responsibility for the personal, as the distinct from the educational, development of pupils

7. of or relating to shepherds, their work, etc

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noun

1. a literary work or picture portraying rural life, esp the lives of shepherds in an idealizing way See also eclogue

2. music a variant of pastorale

3. Christianity

   1. a letter from a clergyman to the people under his charge

   2. the letter of a bishop to the clergy or people of his diocese

   3. Also called: pastoral staff.  the crosier or staff carried by a bishop as a symbol of his pastoral responsibilities

pastoral Cultural  

1. A work of art that celebrates the cultivated enjoyment of the countryside. The poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” by Christopher Marlowe, is a pastoral. Its first stanza reads:

   Come live with me, and be my love;

   And we will all the pleasures prove

   That hills and valleys, dales and fields,

   Woods or steepy mountain yields.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpastoral adjective
• nonpastorally adverb
• pastoralism noun
• pastorally adverb
• semipastoral adjective
• semipastorally adverb
• unpastoral adjective
• unpastorally adverb

Etymology

Origin of pastoral

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pāstōrālis, equivalent to pāstōr-, stem of pāstor ( pastor ) + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Pope Leo XIV will begin a 10-day visit to four African countries on 13 April, marking his first pastoral trip to the continent, the Vatican has announced.

From BBC

“They’re places of sanctuary that are built in cities, where you can walk around in a more pastoral setting,” says David Monod, retired professor of American cultural history at Wilfrid Laurier University.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There is currently significant uncertainty around notice, pay, employment protections, and access to HR or pastoral support," it said.

From BBC

It feels faintly pastoral — hunting and gathering — translated into an urban evening, conducted in sneakers and leggings under fluorescent lights.

From Salon

Islamic leaders have a pastoral responsibility to protect their adherents from corruption and radicalization, to keep the wolves from the flock.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agrarian
• bucolic
• idyllic
• rural
• rustic