English Explanatory Dictionary

pastoral

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of or pertaining to shepherds or herders of other livestock.
  2. Relating to rural life and scenes, in particular of poetry.
  3. Relating to the care of souls, to the pastor of a church or to any local religious leader charged with the service of individual parishioners, i.e. a priest or rabbi.
noun
  1. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a poem in which the speakers assume the character of shepherds; an idyll; a bucolic.
  2. A cantata relating to rural life; a composition for instruments characterized by simplicity and sweetness; a lyrical composition the subject of which is taken from rural life.
  3. A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically, a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese.
  4. A letter of the House of Bishops, to be read in each parish.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɑːstə.ɹəl/ /ˈpæs.tə.ɹəl/ /ˌpæsˈtɔːɹəl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pastoral.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pastoral2.wav

Word forms

pastoral more pastoral most pastoral pastorals

Etymology

From Middle French, Old French pastoral, from Latin pāstōrālis, from pāstor (“shepherd”), + adjective suffix -ālis.

Synonyms

shepherdish shepherdly bucolic rustic cleric clerical black-collar pastoral

Related words

al pastor

Derived words

agropastoral antipastoral cyberpastoral neopastoral nonpastoral pastoral care pastoral charge pastoralise pastoralism pastoralist pastoralize pastoral letter pastorally pastoralness pastoral staff pastoral theology prepastoral semipastoral silvipastoral silvopastoral unpastoral
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