P'ASTORAL, adjective [Latin pastoralis.] Pertaining to shepherds; as a pastoral life; pastoral manners. 1. Descriptive of the life of shepherds; as a pastoral poem. 2. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church; as pastoral care or duties; a pastoral letter. Piety is the life and soul of pastoral fidelity. P'ASTORAL, noun A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds, or a poem in imitation of the action of a shepherd, and in which the speakers take upon themselves 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.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI