Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
HALCYON
golden, halcyon, prosperous
(adjective) marked by peace and prosperity; “a golden era”; “the halcyon days of the clipper trade”
halcyon
(adjective) idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; “a halcyon atmosphere”
halcyon
(noun) 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
Halcyon, genus Halcyon
(noun) a large kingfisher widely distributed in warmer parts of the Old World
Alcyone, Halcyon
(noun) (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a kingfisher
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
halcyon (plural halcyons)
(poetic) a kingfisher said in classical mythology to nest on the sea, thereby calming the waters.
A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia.
Adjective
halcyon (comparative more halcyon, superlative most halcyon)
Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher.
Calm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene.
Synonyms
• (calm, serene): at peace, blissful, calm, peaceful, prelapsarian, relaxed, serene
Source: Wiktionary
Hal"cy*on, n. Etym: [L. halcyon, alcyon, Gr.halcyon.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: 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. Amidst our arms as quiet you shall be As halcyons brooding on a winter sea. Dryden.
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.
2. Hence: Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy. "Deep, halcyon repose." De Quincy.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
28 May 2025
AIR
(noun) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; “an air of mystery”; “the house had a neglected air”; “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate’s headquarters”; “the place had an aura of romance”
Coffee Trivia
