Arcadia
/ɑːrˈkeɪ.di.ə/noun
A place of rural peace and simple, idealized happiness.
Did you know?Arcadia became a literary symbol of pastoral perfection in Roman poetry, so the word’s modern dreamy meaning is basically an ancient artistic invention.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀρκαδία (Arkadía)
“The region of Arcadia in central Peloponnese, Greece, named for its inhabitants, the Arcadians.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Ἀρκάς (Arkás)
“An Arcadian; also the mythic ancestor figure Arcas in Greek tradition.”
Latin
Latin
Arcadia
“Arcadia, the Greek region; later a poetic symbol of rustic simplicity.”
16th Century
English
Arcadia
“A literary ideal of pastoral peace, simplicity, and unspoiled rural life.”
Modern English
English
arcadia
“An idealized place of rural contentment and harmony.”