< /ˌhæl siˈɒn ɪk/.
- calm; peaceful; tranquil: halcyon weather.
- rich; wealthy; prosperous: halcyon times of peace.
- happy; joyful; carefree: halcyon days of youth.
- of or relating to the halcyon or kingfisher.
noun
- a mythical bird, usually identified with the kingfisher, said to breed about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea, and to have the power of charming winds and waves into calmness.
- any of various kingfishers, especially of the genus Halcyon.
- (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. Alcyone(def 2).
adjective also: halcyonian (ˌhælsɪˈəʊnɪən), halcyonic (ˌhælsɪˈɒnɪk)
- peaceful, gentle, and calm
- happy and carefree
noun
- Greek myth a fabulous bird associated with the winter solstice
- a poetic name for the kingfisher
- halcyon days
- a fortnight of calm weather during the winter solstice
- a period of peace and happiness
1540s, in halcyon dayes (Latin alcyonei dies, Greek alkyonides hemerai), 14 days of calm weather at the winter solstice, when a mythical bird (identified with the kingfisher) was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. From halcyon (n.), late 14c., from Latin halcyon, from Greek halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling) of alkyon “kingfisher,” from hals “sea, salt” (see halo-) + kyon “conceiving,” present participle of kyein “to conceive,” literally “to swell,” from PIE root *keue- “to swell.” Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, who when widowed threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher.