Halcyon: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Halcyon adjective. Of a past time, remembered as calm, happy and golden.
How to say it
HAL-see-un/ˈhalsɪən/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (HAL).
Halcyon in a sentence
He talks about the halcyon days of student life as if exams never happened.
Those halcyon summers at the lake ended when the cottage was sold.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- idyllic
- golden
- peaceful
- carefree
Opposite:
- troubled
- turbulent
Where halcyon comes from
From Greek alkuōn, a kingfisher, a bird fabled to calm the sea while it nested.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Those _____ summers at the lake ended when the cottage was sold.
- halcyon
- immemorial
- vestigial
Show the answer
halcyon: Those halcyon summers at the lake ended when the cottage was sold.