Etymology

halcyon

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Today it means: A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. Full definition →

Middle English Alceoun ← Latin halcyōn ← Ancient Greek ἀλκυών
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromἀλκυών
  2. Latin · derived fromhalcyōn
  3. Middle English · inherited fromAlceoun
  4. English todayhalcyon

Inherited from Middle English Alceoun, from Latin halcyōn, alcyōn (“kingfisher”), from Ancient Greek ἀλκυών (alkuṓn).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekἀλκυών all →

Alcyone

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.