PASTORAL

arcadian, bucolic, pastoral

(adjective) (used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic; “a country life of arcadian contentment”; “a pleasant bucolic scene”; “charming in its pastoral setting”; “rustic tranquility”

pastoral

(adjective) of or relating to a pastor; “pastoral work”; “a pastoral letter”

bucolic, pastoral

(adjective) relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle; “pastoral seminomadic people”; “pastoral land”; “a pastoral economy”

pastoral

(noun) a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)

pastoral

(noun) a letter from a pastor to the congregation

pastorale, pastoral, idyll, idyl

(noun) a musical composition that evokes rural life

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

pastoral (comparative more pastoral, superlative most pastoral)

Of or pertaining to shepherds or herders of other livestock

Relating to rural life and scenes

Relating to the care of souls, to the pastor of a church or to any local religious leader charged with the service of individual parishioners, i.e. a priest or rabbi.

Noun

pastoral (plural pastorals)

A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyll; a bucolic.

(music) A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life.

(religion, Christianity) A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese.

(religion, Christianity) A letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

Anagrams

• Laportas, al pastor, proatlas

Source: Wiktionary


Pas"tor*al, a. Etym: [L. pastoralis: cf. F. pastoral. See Pastor.]

1. Of or pertaining to shepherds; hence, relating to rural life and scenes; as, a pastoral life.

2. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church; as, pastoral duties; a pastoral letter. Pastoral staff (Eccl.), a staff, usually of the form of a shepherd's crook, borne as an official emblem by a bishop, abbot, abbess, or other prelate privileged to carry it. See Crook, and Crosier.

– Pastoral Theology, that part of theology which treats of the duties of pastors.

Pas"tor*al, n.

1. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyl; a bucolic. A pastoral is a poem in which any action or passion is represented by its effects on a country life. Rambler.

2. (Mus.)

Definition: A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life. Moore (Encyc. of Music).

3. (Eccl.)

Definition: A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese; also (Prot. Epis. Ch.), a letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

24 May 2025

EARTHSHAKING

(adjective) sufficiently significant to affect the whole world; “earthshaking proposals”; “the contest was no world-shaking affair”; “the conversation...could hardly be called world-shattering”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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