Halcyon \Hal"cy*on\ (h[a^]l"s[i^]*[o^]n), n. [L. halcyon,
alcyon, Gr. "alkyw`n, 'alkyw`n: cf. F. halcyon.] (Zool.)
A kingfisher. By modern ornithologists restricted to a genus
including a limited number of species having omnivorous
habits, as the sacred kingfisher ({Halcyon sancta) of
Australia.
[1913 Webster]
Amidst our arms as quiet you shall be
As halcyons brooding on a winter sea. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Halcyon \Hal"cy*on\, a.
1. Pertaining to, or resembling, the halcyon, which was
anciently said to lay her eggs in nests on or near the sea
during the calm weather about the winter solstice.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence: Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy. "Deep,
halcyon repose." --De Quincy.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]
n 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
WordNet (r) 2.0
76 Moby Thesaurus words for "halcyon":
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
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
Halcyon, CA
Zip code(s): 93420
U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
Alcyone, genus Halcyon, golden, prosperous
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