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halcyon

3 syllables
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As a noun, halcyon means a kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. As an adjective, it means pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher.

Meanings of halcyon

8 meanings

noun

  1. poeticA kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves.

  2. The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam.

  3. A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia.

  4. 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 wavesanimal

adjective

  1. Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher.

  2. figurativeCalm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene.

  3. Idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity

    “a halcyon atmosphere”

  4. Marked by peace and prosperity

    “a golden era”

    “the halcyon days of the clipper trade”

    Similar: golden, prosperous

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).

Synonyms by meaning

adjective: marked by peace and prosperity

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