Words / H / General

halcyon

adjective/ˈhælsiən/

C2CEFR level
60/100Rarity: rare
LiteraryRegister

Idyllically calm, peaceful and happy.

He spoke of the halcyon days of early summer.

Similar: tranquil, serene, golden

Origin: Greek halkyon, a bird said to calm the seas.

Topic: Nature & senses in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Nature & senses