pas·to·ral
ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl
nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl
1
a(1)
: of, relating to, or composed of shepherds or herdsmen
a pastoral people, seminomadic in their habits—J. M. Mogey
(2)
: devoted to or based on livestock raising
a pastoral economy
b
: of or relating to the countryside : not urban
a pastoral setting
c
: portraying or expressive of the life of shepherds or country people especially in an idealized and conventionalized manner
pastoral poetry
a pastoral symphony
d
: pleasingly peaceful and innocent : idyllic
pastoral dreams were shattered by the year's round of … unwelcome visitors, ruinous floods and procrastinating workmen—Betty Fussell
2
a
: of or relating to spiritual care or guidance especially of a congregation
pastoral counseling
b
: of or relating to the pastor of a church
pastoral duties
pastoralness
noun
pas·to·ral
ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl
sense 1d is often
ˌpa-stə-ˈräl
-ˈral
plural pastorals
1
a
: a literary work (such as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life
b
: pastoral poetry or drama
c
: a rural picture or scene
2
3
: a letter of a pastor to a charge: such as
a
: a letter addressed by a bishop to the bishop's diocese
b
: a letter of the house of bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be read in each parish
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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