aureole

American  

[awr-ee-ohl] / ˈɔr iˌoʊl /

Also aureola

noun

1. a radiance surrounding the head or the whole figure in the representation of a sacred personage.

2. any encircling ring of light or color; halo.

3. Astronomy. corona.

4. Geology. a zone of altered country rock around an igneous intrusion.

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aureole British  

/ ˈɔːrɪˌəʊl, ɔːˈriːələ /

noun

1. (esp in paintings of Christian saints and the deity) a border of light or radiance enveloping the head or sometimes the whole of a figure represented as holy

2. a less common word for halo

3. another name for corona

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Etymology

Origin of aureole

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin aureola (corona) “golden (crown),” equivalent to aure(us) “golden” ( see aureate) + -ola, feminine of -olus noun suffix ( see -ole ¹)

Explanation

In art, the circle of light painted or drawn around the heads of religious figures to indicate their divine nature is called an aureole. It comes from the Latin word aureus, which means golden, and aureoles are often created in golden hues. The meaning of the noun aureole has extended to mean anything that resembles the sort of artistic circle of light that surrounds something. The term is frequently used when describing hair. If you have light-colored hair, in the sunlight, it may look like your head is surrounded by a shimmering aureole. The luminous circle around the sun visible during a solar eclipse is also called an aureole.

Example Sentences

Aureole finished second, the closest the queen ever got to winning the Derby, Britain's most prestigious flat horse race.

From Reuters • Sep. 16, 2022

As Morgan Harris, head sommelier at Aureole, explains, “The Durand basically combines the classic waiter’s corkscrew with horizontal compression from a forked ‘Ah, so’–style wine opener.

From Slate • Dec. 1, 2018

Four years later he returned to Aureole, where he succeeded Mr. Palmer as executive chef.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2015

Even before graduating from the CIA in 2004, Giusti worked an externship at Aureole, chef Charlie Palmer’s restaurant in New York, where he met Matt Orlando, future chef de cuisine for Noma.

From Washington Post

Who'll know that heart and soul bled on and on, That storm-swept aches and woes were mine untold, My life a waste, from which there stole a moan, No Aureole whilst I in sorrow drown?

From Betelguese A Trip Through Hell by de Esque, Jean