Pastoral

//ˈpæs.tə.ɹəl// adj, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to shepherds or herders of other livestock.

    "Like the Mesolithic age of 10,000-8000 B.C., the period 6000-4000 B.C. seems to be one of the fall of fortresses and the rise of pastoral nomadism."

  2. 2
    Relating to rural life and scenes, in particular of poetry.

    "We were living a pastoral life."

  3. 3
    Relating to the care of souls, to the pastor of a church or to any local religious leader charged with the service of individual parishioners, i.e. a priest or rabbi.

    "pastoral duties"

Adjective
  1. 1
    (used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic wordnet
  2. 2
    of or relating to a pastor wordnet
  3. 3
    relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyll; a bucolic.

    "Ethel was silent from surprise: she had prepared herself for anger—even sorrow; but ridicule left her without an answer. What could she say to a hearer, who only smiled, and to whom emotion was only a scene in a pastoral?"

  2. 2
    a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds) wordnet
  3. 3
    A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life.
  4. 4
    a letter from a pastor to the congregation wordnet
  5. 5
    A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    a musical composition that evokes rural life wordnet
  2. 7
    A letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle French, Old French pastoral, from Latin pāstōrālis, from pāstor (“shepherd”), + adjective suffix -ālis.

Etymology 2

From Middle French, Old French pastoral, from Latin pāstōrālis, from pāstor (“shepherd”), + adjective suffix -ālis.

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