Halcyon Days
/ˈhæl.si.ən deɪz/noun
A peaceful, happy period, especially one remembered as calmer or more prosperous than the present.
Did you know?In Greek myth, Alcyone became a kingfisher after her husband drowned, and Zeus supposedly calmed the winter sea for the bird’s nesting period.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀλκυονίδες ἡμέραι (Alkyonídes hēmérai)
“The “days of Alcyone,” traditionally a brief calm period around winter when the kingfisher was believed to nest.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀλκυών (alkyṓn)
“Kingfisher; the bird associated with the myth of Alcyone.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
alcyonii dies
“The calm days of Alcyone, described in Latin accounts of the myth and seasonal weather.”
Middle English
English
halcyon
“Peaceful, calm, or prosperous; also used for the kingfisher.”
16th–17th Century
English
halcyon days
“A period of tranquil weather or peaceful circumstances, increasingly used metaphorically.”
Modern English
English
halcyon days
“A remembered era of happiness, calm, or prosperity, often viewed nostalgically.”