Meanings
plural idylls · alternative US idyl
- Any poem or short written piece composed in the style of Theocritus's short pastoral poems, the Idylls.
Its pages contain not just recipes but an idyll of prelapsarian plenty, passed down the generations by those who still connect with pagan forces: Saturnus and his groaning table, a Saturnalia from the Golden Age.
2012 September 21, Justine Jordan, “John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk – review”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Dec 2013 - An episode or series of events or circumstances of pastoral or rural simplicity, fit for an idyll; a carefree or lighthearted experience.
- entertainmentA composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character, e.g. Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna musical composition that evokes rural life
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekεἰδύλλιον
- Latinīdyllium
- Englishidyll
From Latin īdyllium, from Ancient Greek εἰδύλλιον (eidúllion), from diminutive of εἶδος (eîdos, “form, shape”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian идилия, идилия
- идилия (idilija)poem or short written piece
- идилия (idilija)carefree or lighthearted experience
Catalan idil·li, idili
- idil·lipoem or short written piece
- idilicarefree or lighthearted experience
Czech idyla, selanka
- idylapoem or short written piece
- selankapoem or short written piece
- idylacarefree or lighthearted experience
- selankacarefree or lighthearted experience
- idylacomposition
- selankacomposition
Danish idyl, idyl
- idylpoem or short written piece
- idylcarefree or lighthearted experience
Finnish idylli
- idyllicarefree or lighthearted experience
French idylle, idylle
- idyllepoem or short written piece
- idyllecarefree or lighthearted experience
German Idyll, Idylle
- Idyllcarefree or lighthearted experience
- Idyllecarefree or lighthearted experience
Greek ειδύλλιο, ειδύλλιο
- ειδύλλιο (eidýllio)poem or short written piece
- ειδύλλιο (eidýllio)carefree or lighthearted experience
Polish idylla, idylla
- idyllapoem or short written piece
- idyllacarefree or lighthearted experience
- sielankacarefree or lighthearted experience
Portuguese idílio
- idíliopoem or short written piece
Russian иди́ллия, иди́ллия
- иди́ллия (idíllija)poem or short written piece
- иди́ллия (idíllija)carefree or lighthearted experience
- иди́ллия (idíllija)composition
- пастора́ль (pastorálʹ)composition
Spanish idilio, idilio
- idiliopoem or short written piece
- idiliocarefree or lighthearted experience
Turkish idil
- idilcarefree or lighthearted experience
Yiddish אידיליע, אידיליע
- אידיליע (idilye)poem or short written piece
- אידיליע (idilye)carefree or lighthearted experience
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with idyll
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
idyll. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idyll
“idyll.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idyll. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “idyll,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idyll.
Source: idyll on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.