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halcyon

Definition of halcyon

adjective

  • denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful:the halcyon days of the mid 1980s, when profits were soaring

noun

  • 1a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.
  • 2a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly coloured plumage.
    • Genus Halcyon, family Alcedinidae: many species

Origin:

late Middle English (in the mythological sense): via Latin from Greek alkuōn 'kingfisher' (also halkuōn, by association with hals 'sea' and kuōn 'conceiving')

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halcyon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of halcyon in the US English dictionary
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