See Also: Halcyon(medicine)
halcyon(dictionary)
halcyon(dictionary)
HALCYON Group Ltd(finance)
HALCYON Securities Limited(finance)
Halcyon Hotel - A Summit Hotel Kensington(tourism)

halcyon (iou)



halcyon noun & adjective. LME.
[Latin (h)alcyon from Greek alkuon kingfisher (also halkuon by assoc. with hals sea and kuon conceiving), rel. to Latin alcedo kingfisher.]
A. noun.
A bird said by the ancients to breed in a nest floating on the sea around the time of the winter solstice, and to charm the wind and waves so that the sea was calm for this purpose; poet. a kingfisher. LME.
b. Any of various brightly coloured tropical kingfishers of the genus Halcyon. L18.
Calm, quietude. M17-L18.
b. adjective.
Calm, peaceful; happy, prosperous, idyllic. L16.
halcyon days orig., fourteen days of calm weather supposed to occur when the halcyon was breeding; now, days of idyllic happiness or prosperity.
Of or pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher. E17.