The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

halcyon (adjective, noun):

adjective
1a : characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity
b : calm, peaceful a halcyon atmosphere
c : prosperous, affluent
2 : of or relating to the halcyon (see halcyon entry 2) or its nesting period

noun
: a bird identified with the kingfisher

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : According to Greek mythology, Alkyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so distraught when she learned that her husband had been killed in a shipwreck that she threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher. As a result, ancient Greeks called such birds alkyon or halkyon. The legend also says that such birds built floating nests on the sea, where they so charmed the wind god that he created a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds’ eggs hatched. This legend prompted people to use halcyon both as a noun naming a genus of kingfisher and as an adjective meaning either “of or relating to the kingfisher or its nesting period” or calm.

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