Donna RichardsonSir Walter Scott
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Halcyon has drifted along contentedly in English for centuries, but it hatched from a tumultuous story. According to Greek mythology, Alkyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so distraught over her husband Ceyx’s death at sea that she threw herself into the ocean to join him. The gods were moved by the couple’s love, and took pity on them by turning them into halcyon birds, a bird identified with the kingfisher. (Kingfishers are known for plunging into water after prey.) According to the legend, the birds built their nests on the sea, which so charmed Alkyone’s father that he created a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds' eggs hatched. Our word halcyon reflects the story in multiple ways. When halcyon was first used in English in the 14th century it was as a noun referring to the mythical bird, and later to actual kingfishers as well. Adjective use developed in the 16th century and now most often evokes those calm waters—the word typically describes an idyllic time in the past.
Synonyms
Examples of halcyon in a Sentence
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Like her sister, Ms. Fjeld has halcyon memories of growing up in small-town Vermont and being part of a large family.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2024
After about 36 months of President Biden, in other words, people yearn for the halcyon Trump ...
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 5 Mar. 2024
The forest transformed into something halcyon and storybook-like, as though the many creatures were guiding me along with a gentle touch, like a small caterpillar rounding around on skin.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
The halcyon days where venture capitalists were content forking over billions to the latest AI startup, as researchers burned through cash with little to show for it, may be all but over.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
The past century saw some ferocious crashes in profitability but ended with a halcyon era of low interest rates, low corporation taxes and Chinese labor.
—William Baldwin, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Those were halcyon days for The Times, whose revenue in 1991 topped $3.7 billion.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024
An infusion of new energy and revived values of its halcyon days could see The Body Shop reclaim its position as a leader in ethical beauty.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Whitney Phillips, Wired, 24 Nov. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halcyon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near halcyon
Cite this Entry
“Halcyon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halcyon. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
halcyon
1 of 2 noun
halcyon
2 of 2 adjectiveNoun
Middle English alceon "kingfisher," from Latin halcyon (same meaning), from Greek halkyōn "legendary bird that builds a nest at sea"
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