Adjacent Words

Halo definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HA'LO, n. A circle appearing round the body of the sun, moon or stars, called also Corona, or crown. Halos are sometimes white and sometimes colored. Sometimes one only appears, and sometimes several concentric circles appear at the same time.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint [syn: aura, aureole, halo, nimbus, glory, gloriole]
2: a toroidal shape; "a ring of ships in the harbor"; "a halo of smoke" [syn: ring, halo, annulus, doughnut, anchor ring]
3: a circle of light around the sun or moon

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural halos or haloes) Etymology: Latin halos, from Greek hal?s threshing floor, disk, halo Date: 1603 1. a circle of light appearing to surround the sun or moon and resulting from refraction or reflection of light by ice particles in the atmosphere 2. something resembling a halo: as a. nimbus b. a region of space surrounding a galaxy that is sparsely populated with luminous objects (as globular clusters) but is believed to contain a great deal of dark matter c. a differentiated zone surrounding a central zone or object d. an orthopedic device used to immobilize the head and neck (as to treat fracture of neck vertebrae) that consists of a metal band placed around the head and fastened to the skull usually with metal pins and that is attached by extensions to an inflexible vest — called also halo brace 3. the aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized person or thing II. transitive verb Date: 1801 to form into or surround with a halo <rainbows haloed the waterfalls — Michael Crawford>

NOAA Weather Glossary

A ring or arc that encircles the sun or moon. Halos are caused by therefraction of light through the ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. (pl. -oes) 1 a disc or circle of light shown surrounding the head of a sacred person. 2 the glory associated with an idealized person etc. 3 a circle of white or coloured light round a luminous body, esp. the sun or moon. 4 a circle or ring. --v.tr. (-oes, -oed) surround with a halo. Etymology: med.L f. L f. Gk halos threshing-floor, disc of the sun or moon

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Halo Ha"lo, n.; pl. Halos(?). [L. halos, acc. halo, Gr. ? a thrashing floor, also (from its round shape) the disk of the sun or moon, and later a halo round it; cf. Gr. ? to enfold, ? to roll round, L. volvere, and E. voluble.] 1. A luminous circle, usually prismatically colored, round the sun or moon, and supposed to be caused by the refraction of light through crystals of ice in the atmosphere. Connected with halos there are often white bands, crosses, or arches, resulting from the same atmospheric conditions. 2. A circle of light; especially, the bright ring represented in painting as surrounding the heads of saints and other holy persons; a glory; a nimbus. 3. An ideal glory investing, or affecting one's perception of, an object. 4. A colored circle around a nipple; an areola.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Halo Ha"lo, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Haloed; p. pr. & vb. n. Haloing.] To form, or surround with, a halo; to encircle with, or as with, a halo. The fire That haloed round his saintly brow. --Sothey.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(haloes, or halos) 1. A halo is a circle of light that is shown in pictures round the head of a holy figure such as a saint or angel. N-COUNT 2. A halo is a circle of light round a person or thing, or something that looks like a circle of light. The sun had a faint halo round it... N-COUNT: oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Ring (of light). 2. (Painting.) Glory, aureole.

Moby Thesaurus

O, annular muscle, annulation, annulus, anthelion, antisun, areola, aura, aureola, aureole, blaze of glory, brilliance, brilliancy, chaplet, charisma, circle, circuit, circumference, circus, closed circle, corona, coronet, countersun, crown, cycle, diadem, disc, discus, disk, envelope, eternal return, fairy ring, garland, glamour, glory, illustriousness, lasso, logical circle, loop, looplet, lunar corona, lunar halo, luster, magic, magic circle, mock moon, mock sun, moon dog, mystique, nimbus, noose, numinousness, orbit, paraselene, parhelic circle, parhelion, radiance, radius, rainbow, resplendence, resplendency, ring, rondelle, round, roundel, saucer, solar corona, solar halo, sphincter, splendor, sun dog, vesica, vicious circle, wheel, wreath