Dictionary Definition
halcyon adj
1 idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy
tranquillity; "a halcyon atmosphere"
2 marked by peace and prosperity; "a golden era";
"the halcyon days of the clipper trade" [syn: golden, prosperous]
Noun
1 (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a
kingfisher [syn: Alcyone]
2 a large kingfisher widely distributed in warmer
parts of the Old World [syn: genus
Halcyon]
3 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
User Contributed Dictionary
see Halcyon
English
Pronunciation
- /'hælsɪən/
Noun
- in classical legends, a bird said to nest on the sea and to calm the
waters to make this possible.
- undated — John Dryden,
(source?)
- Amidst our arms as quiet you shall be As halcyons brooding on a winter sea.
- undated — John Dryden,
(source?)
- a kingfisher
- c.1880 — Ambrose
Bierce, On a
Mountain
- And, by the way, during those halcyon days (the halcyon was there, too, chattering above every creek, as he is all over the world) we fought another battle.
- c.1880 — Ambrose
Bierce, On a
Mountain
- A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher Halcyon sancta of Australia.
Translations
Bird of genus Halcyon
- Spanish: alcedón
Adjective
- Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher
- Calm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene.
Quotations
- 1787 — Alexander
Hamilton, Federalist
Papers No. 30
- 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.
- (undated)— Thomas de
Quincey, (source?)
-
- Deep, halcyon repose.
-
- 1919 — H.P.
Lovecraft, The City
- I had wander’d in rapture beneath them, and bask’d in the Halcyon clime.
Translations
Pertaining to the kingfisher
Calm
See also
Latin
Alternative spellings
Etymology
From (alkuōn)Pronunciation
- /haːlˈkʏ.ɔn/
Extensive Definition
Halcyon (), a term that originates from the Greek
myth of Alcyone, is used
most often to mean golden or marked by peace and prosperity.
Halcyon may refer to:
Birds
- Halcyon (genus), a type of bird
- Tree kingfisher, a family of birds (Halcyonidae) containing the above genus
Games
- Halcyon (role-playing game), an indie role-playing game
- Halcyon (console), a video-game console
- Halcyon, a fictional class of starship that includes Pillar of Autumn in the Halo video game series
Literature
- Halcyon (dialogue), a short dialogue attributed to Plato
- Halcyon (Stargate Atlantis novel), a novel by James Swallow
- Halcyon, the fictional capital city of the Thran civilization in the Magic: The Gathering universe
Music
- "Halcyon" (Chicane song)
- "Halcyon" (Orbital song)
- Halcyon (Best Of), an album by Orbital
- "Halcyon", a song by The Acacia Strain from 3750
- "Halcyon (Beautiful Days)", a song by Mono
- "Halcyon: The Heavy Silence: In Silent Rain", a song by ...And Oceans from Cypher
Ships
- Halcyon 23, a type of sailing ship built in England
- Halcyon class minesweeper, a type of British Royal Navy minesweeper
- Halcyon class torpedo gunboat, a type of British Royal Navy gunboat
Other
- Halcyon, California, U.S.
- Halcyon Castle, a castle in Travancore, Kerala, India
- Halcyon Gallery, a group of three art galleries in the United Kingdom
- Halcyon House, a Georgian style home in Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Halcyon Monitoring Solutions, a company that monitors performance of computer systems
- The Halcyon Company, a film studio
See also
- Halcion, an insomnia drug
- Alcyone (disambiguation)
- Halcyon days
- Halcyon Days (disambiguation)
halcyon in Slovenian: Halcyon
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Saturnian, at peace, at rest,
balmy, bloodless, blooming, blossoming, booming, bright, calm, clear, cloistered, concordant, cool, dwindling, ebbing, even-tenored, exuberant, fair, fat, flourishing, flowering, fruiting, going strong,
hushed, idyllic, impassive, in full swing, in
good case, isolated,
mild, moldering, orderly, pacific, palmy, pastoral, peaceable, peaceful, peacetime, piping, placid, prospering, quiescent, quiet, reposeful, reposing, restful, resting, rosy, secluded, sequestered, sequestrated, serene, sheltered, sleek, smooth, soft, still, still as death, stillish, stilly, stoic, stolid, subsiding, sunny, thriving, tranquil, unagitated, undisturbed, unmoved, unperturbed, unruffled, unstirring, untroubled, vigorous, waning