halcyon

halcyon definitions

noun
  • The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam. 

  • A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. 

  • A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia. 

noun
adj