aureole
UK /ˈɔː.ɹiː.əʊl/ · US /ˈɔɹ.i.oʊl/ noun, verb
Forms aureoles aureoling aureoled
- noun A circle of light or halo around the head of a deity or a saint.
- noun (by extension) Any luminous or colored ring that encircles something.
- noun (astronomy) A corona.
- noun (geology) A ring around an igneous intrusion.
- verb (transitive) To surround with, or as if with, a halo.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English aureole, from Old French aureole, from Medieval Latin aureola (corona) (“golden (crown)”). Doublet of oriole.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A celestial crown or accidental glory added to the bliss of heaven, as a reward to those (as virgins, martyrs, preachers, etc.) who have overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
- noun The circle of rays, or halo of light, with which painters surround the figure and represent the glory of Christ, saints, and others held in special reverence.
Etymology [F. auréole, fr. L. aureola, (fem adj.) of gold (sc. corona crown), dim. of aureus. See Aureate, Oriole.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aureole”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details