- Halcyon describes an idealized, idyllic or peaceful time.
An example of something you would describe as halcyon is the long, lazy and peaceful days of summer vacation.
- The definition of a halcyon is a bird, which legends say, has the power to calm the winter sea.
A halcyon is a kingfisher from Southern Asia and Australia.
- a legendary bird, identified with the kingfisher, which is supposed to have a peaceful, calming influence on the sea at the time of the winter solstice
- Zool. any of a genus (Halcyon) of kingfishers of S Asia and Australia
Origin of halcyonMiddle English alcioun ; from Classical Latin alcyon ; from Classical Greek alky?n, kingfisher, altered by folk etymology after Classical Greek hals, sea
- of the halcyon
- tranquil, happy, idyllic, etc.: esp. in phr. halcyon days, usually with nostalgic reference to earlier times
- Calm and peaceful; tranquil.
- Prosperous; golden: halcyon years.
- 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.
- A kingfisher, especially one of the genus Halcyon.
Origin of halcyonMiddle English alcioun, mythical halcyon bird, from Latin alcy&omacron;n, halcy&omacron;n, from Greek halku&omacron;n, alteration (influenced by hals, salt, sea, and ku&omacron;n, conceiving) of alku&omacron;n, probably from a pre-Greek Mediterranean language .
(comparative more halcyon, superlative most halcyon)
Latin halcyon (“kingfisher”)