halcyon
“
The petterel and the halcyon were the birds the sailor loved, and he forgot the songs of the inland woods in the moanings that haunt the very heart of the tumultuous sea.
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American Heritage Dictionary (4)
- noun A kingfisher, especially one of the genus Halcyon.
- noun A fabled bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was supposed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves while it nested on the sea during the winter solstice.
- adjective Calm and peaceful; tranquil.
Century Dictionary (8)
GNU Webster's 1913 (2)
WordNet (5)
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- I have learned to prize such, as the halcyon prelude to the storm. — Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli
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The petterel and the halcyon were the birds the sailor loved, and he forgot the songs of the inland woods in the moanings that haunt the very heart of the tumultuous sea.
— Recreations of Christopher North, Volume 2 -
We ascended every hill within our picket-lines and called it a "peak 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.
— The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 1 -
For the halcyon was a fabled bird, whose nest floated upon the sea.
— A Portrait of Old George Town -
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.
— The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 1
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American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- Middle English alcioun, from Latin alcyōn, halcyōn, from Greek halkuōn, a mythical bird, kingfisher, alteration (influenced by hals, salt, sea, and kuōn, conceiving) of alkuōn.
Century Dictionary (1)
GNU Webster's 1913 (1)
WordNet
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Pronunciations
/ (hălˈsē-ən)/
ahd pronounces "halcyon"
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American Heritage Dictionary