halcyon — ONAD

halcyon /ˈhalsēən, ˈhælsiən

▸ adjective denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful:

the halcyon days of the mid-1980s, when profits were soaring.

▸ noun

1 a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly colored plumage.

Genus Halcyon, family Alcedinidae: many species.

2 a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.

– ORIGIN late Middle English (in the mythological sense): via Latin from Greek alkuōn ‘kingfisher’ (also halkuōn, by association with hals ‘sea’ and kuōn ‘conceiving’).