bucolic

adjective

bu·​col·​ic byü-ˈkä-lik How to pronounce bucolic (audio)
1
: of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen : pastoral
2
a
: relating to or typical of rural life
b
bucolically adverb

Did you know?

The Origin of Bucolic Is "Utterly" Quaint

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 as an adjective 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."

Examples of bucolic in a Sentence

Pine Ridge …  . Its generic blandness and vaguely bucolic quality anticipated similar names—the Oak Parks and River Groves and Lake Forests and Chestnut Hills … Ian Frazier, On the Rez, 2000
… the massive population growth has transformed a collection of bucolic villages and mill towns into a chain of strip-mall suburbs. Jonathan Cohn, New Republic, 7 Feb. 2000
… Intel gives its generations of microprocessors such bucolic code names as Deschutes, Tillamook, and Katmai but then rolls them out with names that rival those of popes and medieval heads of state: Pentium the III, Celeron the Meek, and Xeon the Magnificent. Jake Kirchner, PC Magazine, 25 May 1999
… the North Shore commuter train scuds through bucolic landscape for a while, the rocks and trees permitting glimpses of Appleton Farms … John Updike, New England Monthly, October 1989
a bucolic region where farms are still common
Recent Examples on the Web The film centers on the real-life Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family, who live bucolic and seemingly mundane lives next door to the infamous concentration camp. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Founded by psychologist Alice Haddon and co-founder Ruth Field, the Heartbreak Hotel runs retreats that address romantic heartbreak through one-to-one therapy, group sessions, nourishing food and a little pampering on a bucolic estate in Sussex. Jessica Burrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 Lanterns serve as lamps, the carpet has the look and feel of grass, there’s a faux rock-and-wood glowing campfire underneath wallpaper that depicts a bucolic woodsy summer scene. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The company pursuing a controversial plan to build a new city on bucolic Solano County farmland insists that public approval is crucial to the success of its for-profit utopia. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2024 The bucolic spread, set amidst 135 idyllic acres, is the home of Terry Barnes, the former longtime CEO and chairman of Ticketmaster. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 By 2020, Sarai had started to resent her bucolic upbringing, but the pandemic forced her to become reacquainted with the landscape of El Llano. Ana Karina Zatarain, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2024 Saddle up one of the more than 70 horses to explore 6,600 bucolic acres or attend a ranch rodeo. Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 After entering Catskill Animal Sanctuary, which is about 110 miles north of New York City, the road dips into a bucolic valley and leads to a main farmhouse with stables and pastures around it. Hilary Howard, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bucolic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin bucolicus, from Greek boukolikos, from boukolos cowherd, from bous head of cattle + -kolos (akin to Latin colere to cultivate) — more at cow, wheel

First Known Use

circa 1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bucolic was circa 1609

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Cite this Entry

“Bucolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bucolic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bucolic

adjective
bu·​col·​ic byü-ˈkäl-ik How to pronounce bucolic (audio)

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