pastoral

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Of or relating to shepherds or herders.
2. adj. Of, relating to, or used for animal husbandry.
3. adj. Of or relating to the country or country life; rural.
4. adj. Charmingly simple and serene; idyllic. See Synonyms at rural.
5. adj. Of, relating to, or being a literary or other artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way.
6. adj. Of or relating to a pastor or the duties of a pastor: pastoral duties; a pastoral letter.
7. n. A literary or other artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way.
8. n. Music A pastorale.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Pertaining to a herdsman or shepherd, or to flocks or herds; rustic; rural: as, a pastoral life; pastoral manners.
2. Descriptive of the life of shepherds; treating of rustic life: as, a pastoral poem.
3. Of or pertaining to a pastor or his office, dignity, duties, etc.; relating to the cure of souls: as, the pastoral care of a church; a pastoral visit; pastoral work.
4. In churches of the Presbyterian and Congregational orders, the address of counsel made by a clergyman to a pastor on his ordination or installation.
5. Synonyms and Rustic, Bucolic, etc. See rural.
6. n. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds, or a poem in which the characters are shepherds or shepherdesses; in general, any poem the subject of which is the country or a country life; a bucolic.
7. n. Any work of art of which the subject is rural.
8. n. In music, same as pastorale.
9. n. A pastoral letter or address.
10. n. A shepherd; also, a swineherd.
11. n. A treatise on the duties of a pastor.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Of or pertaining to shepherds; hence, relating to rural life and scenes; as, a pastoral life.
2. adj. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church; as, pastoral duties; a pastoral letter.
3. n. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyll; a bucolic.
4. n. music A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life. Moore
5. n. religion, Christianity A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese.
6. n. religion, Christianity A letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Of or pertaining to shepherds; hence, relating to rural life and scenes.
2. adj. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church
3. n. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyl; a bucolic.
4. n. (Mus.) A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life.
5. n. (Eccl.) A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese; also (Prot. Epis. Ch.), a letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle
2. n. a musical composition that evokes rural life
3. adj. of or relating to a pastor
4. n. a letter from a pastor to the congregation
5. n. a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)
6. adj. (used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic