From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pastoral \Pas"tor*al\, a. [L. pastoralis: cf. F. pastoral. See
{Pastor}.]
1. Of or pertaining to shepherds; hence, relating to rural
life and scenes; as, a pastoral life.
[1913 Webster]
2. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a
church; as, pastoral duties; a pastoral letter.
[1913 Webster]
{Pastoral staff} (Eccl.), a staff, usually of the form of a
shepherd's crook, borne as an official emblem by a bishop,
abbot, abbess, or other prelate privileged to carry it.
See {Crook}, and {Crosier}.
{Pastoral Theology}, that part of theology which treats of
the duties of pastors.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pastoral \Pas"tor*al\, n.
1. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds; a
poem in which the speakers assume the character of
shepherds; an idyl; a bucolic.
[1913 Webster]
A pastoral is a poem in which any action or passion
is represented by its effects on a country life.
--Rambler.
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2. (Mus.) 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. --Moore (Encyc. of Music).
[1913 Webster]
3. (Eccl.) A letter of a pastor to his charge; specifically,
a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese; also (Prot.
Epis. Ch.), a letter of the House of Bishops, to be read
in each parish.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pastoral
adj 1: of or relating to a pastor; "pastoral work"; "a pastoral
letter"
2: relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep
or cattle; "pastoral seminomadic people"; "pastoral land"; "a
pastoral economy" [syn: {bucolic}, {pastoral}]
3: (used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically
rustic; "a country life of arcadian contentment"; "a pleasant
bucolic scene"; "charming in its pastoral setting"; "rustic
tranquility" [syn: {arcadian}, {bucolic}, {pastoral}]
n 1: a musical composition that evokes rural life [syn:
{pastorale}, {pastoral}, {idyll}, {idyl}]
2: a letter from a pastor to the congregation
3: a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the
life of shepherds)
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