Idyl
/ˈaɪ.dɪl/noun
A short, simple poem or a peaceful, picturesque scene.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek eidyllion, a diminutive of eidos (“form, image”), so an idyl began as a “little image” before becoming a literary dream of calm.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weyd-
“to see, know”
Ancient Greek
Greek
εἶδος (eîdos)
“form, shape, visible appearance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
εἰδύλλιον (eidýllion)
“little image; short pastoral poem”
Late Latin
Latin
idyllium
“a short pastoral poem”
16th Century
French
idylle
“a short pastoral poem”
18th Century
English
idyl
“a short pastoral poem; an idealized rural scene”