Word of the Day

: March 29, 2007

bucolic

adjective byoo-KAH-lik

What It Means

1 : of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen : pastoral

2 : relating to or typical of rural life

bucolic in Context

While sitting in rush hour traffic, Cecilia often daydreamed about living in a little house in a quiet, bucolic setting.

Did You Know?

We get "bucolic" from the Latin word "bucolicus," which is ultimately from the Greek word "boukolos," meaning "cowherd." When "bucolic" was first used in English in the early 17th century, it meant "pastoral" in a narrow sense -- that is, it referred to things related to shepherds or herdsmen and in particular to pastoral poetry. Later in the 19th century, it was applied more broadly to things rural or rustic. "Bucolic" has also been occasionally used as a noun meaning "a pastoral poem" or "a bucolic person."

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.