Meaning

noun (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a kingfisher

noun a large kingfisher widely distributed in warmer parts of the Old World

noun a mythical bird said to breed at the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to have the power of calming the winds and waves

originInherited from Middle English Alceoun, from Latin halcyōn, alcyōn (“kingfisher”), from Ancient Greek ἀλκυών (alkuṓn).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0