/
ˈhalsɪən,
-ʃ(ə)n/
adj.
denoting a past time regarded as idyllically happy and peaceful:
![]()
the halcyon days of the mid 1980s.
n.
- a mythical bird said to breed in a nest floating at sea, charming the wind and waves into calm.
- a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly coloured plumage.
[Genus Halcyon: many species.]
Etymology
ME: via L. from Gk alkuōn ‘kingfisher’ (also halkuōn, by assoc. with hals ‘sea’ and kuōn ‘conceiving’).
查看更多