Pastoral
Pastoral , adjective
[Latin pastoralis: compare French pastoral. See Pastor.]
1.
Of or pertaining to shepherds; hence, relating to rural life and scenes; as, a pastoral life.
2.
Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church; as, pastoral duties; a pastoral letter.
Collocations (2)
Pastoral staff (Ecclesiastical) , 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.
Pastoral , noun
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.
A pastoral is a poem in which any action or passion is represented by its effects on a country life.
2.
(Music) 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)
3.
(Ecclesiastical) 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.