Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Greek Mythology The daughter of Aeolus who, in grief over the death of her husband Ceyx, threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher.
- n. Greek Mythology A nymph, one of the Pleiades.
- n. Astronomy The brightest star in the Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A greenish star of magnitude 3.0, the brightest of the Pleiades,
η Tauri. See cut under Pleiades. - n. In ornithology, a genus of kingfishers, of the family Alcedinidæ, subfamily Daceloninæ, related to the genus Ceyx, both being distinguished by the rudimentary condition of the inner front toe. Also written Halcyone.
Wiktionary
- n. One of the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and Pleione.
- n. Daughter of Aeolus and wife of Ceyx.
- n. One of the stars of the Pleiades
star cluster, named after the mythical character.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a kingfisher
Etymologies
- Latin, from Greek Alkuonē, from alkuōn, kingfisher.
Examples
“Homer, however, reconciles this discrepancy, by saying that the original name of the wife of Meleager was Cleopatra, but that she was called Alcyone, because her mother had the same fate as Alcyone, or Halcyone.] [Footnote 74: _Evenus.”
“` the opening '; Manubrium ` a handle' -- and others from Greek mythology, such as Alcyone in the Pleiades, etc. -- an amazing number of the most common stars retain their old Arabic names.”
“Because Seena believed love lived in literature, mythology: between Alcyone and Ceyx, Hero and Leander, Orpheus and Eurydice.”
“One day, news reached her that Ceyx had drowned at sea, so in despair, Alcyone threw herself into the sea to join him in his watery grave.”
The Guardian: Mystery bird: Black-capped kingfisher, Halcyon pileata
“If you enjoyed that story about Alcyone, then you might be interested to know that the river kingfishers are placed into the genus Ceyx.”
The Guardian: Mystery bird: Black-capped kingfisher, Halcyon pileata
“Their conjugal affection still is ty'd,And still the mournful race is multiply'd:They bill, they tread; Alcyone compress'd,Sev'n days sits brooding on her floating nest:A wintry queen: her sire at length is kind,Calms ev'ry storm, and hushes ev'ry wind;Prepares his empire for his daughter's ease,And for his hatching nephews smooths the seas.”
The Guardian: Mystery bird: Black-capped kingfisher, Halcyon pileata
“I suspect discussions of Alcyone, Marpessa and Polymede won't be all that helpful (and I apologise for straying outside of my "place")”
“One of the memories I carry with me to this day is of my father standing on the deck of our wind ship, Alcyone, looking ahead to the legacy he might leave behind.”
“He flew all over the world on the Concorde, dropping in on the Calypso or the Alcyone, his two research vessels, which were parked in one or another of the seven seas.”
“The belief was that our solar system is pulled toward Alcyone; she attracts us just as spirit attracts and animates Matter.”
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