Halcyon
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. poetic
"the Halcyon bird, or as some call it Alcedo or Kings-fisher, exceeds all mens conceit. […] Gods decree hath been, that all the watrie wildernesse should be quiet and made calme, without raine, wind, or tempest, during the time the Halcyon sitteth and bringeth forth her young-ones […]"
- 2 a mythical bird said to breed at the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to have the power of calming the winds and waves wordnet
- 3 A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves.; The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam. poetic
"But novv hovv ſtands the vvind? / Into vvhat corner peeres my Halcions bill?"
- 4 A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia.
- 1 Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher.
"Renege; affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks / With every gale and vary of their masters,"
- 2 Calm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene. figuratively
"Reflections of this kind may have trifling weight with men who hope to see realized in America the halcyon scenes of the poetic or fabulous age."
- 1 marked by peace and prosperity wordnet
- 2 idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity wordnet
Example
More examples"Everyone remembers the happy days of his youth as his halcyon days."
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English Alceoun, from Latin halcyōn, alcyōn (“kingfisher”), from Ancient Greek ἀλκυών (alkuṓn).
Related phrases
More for "halcyon"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.