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aura

[awr-uh]
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noun, plural au·ras or for 3, au·rae [awr-ee] /ˈɔr i/.
  1. a distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; atmosphere: an aura of respectability; an aura of friendliness.
  2. a subtly pervasive quality or atmosphere seen as emanating from a person, place, or thing.
  3. Pathology. a sensation, as of lights or a current of warm or cold air, preceding an attack of migraine or epilepsy.
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Origin of aura

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek: breath (of air)

Aura

[awr-uh]
noun Classical Mythology.
  1. a companion of Artemis who bore twins to Dionysus. Zeus changed her into a spring because, in a fit of madness, she had killed one of her children.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aura

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Lee—over there—" Aura's whispered words were drab with horror.

    The World Beyond

    Raymond King Cummings

  • Trembling, Lee stood up, with the mute, white-faced Aura clinging to him.

    The World Beyond

    Raymond King Cummings

  • He called back, "Aura—you stay where you are—you hide, until it's over—"

    The World Beyond

    Raymond King Cummings

  • Luckily it was Helen's aura, not mine, and she had to chaperone it and do the politenesses.

    Howards End

    E. M. Forster

  • When I talked about scrubbing my aura, I was only trying to be funny.

    Howards End

    E. M. Forster

British Dictionary definitions for aura

aura

noun plural auras or aurae (ˈɔːriː)
  1. a distinctive air or quality considered to be characteristic of a person or thing
  2. any invisible emanation, such as a scent or odour
  3. pathol strange sensations, such as noises in the ears or flashes of light, that immediately precede an attack, esp of epilepsy
  4. (in parapsychology) an invisible emanation produced by and surrounding a person or object: alleged to be discernible by individuals of supernormal sensibility
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Word Origin

C18: via Latin from Greek: breeze
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aura

n.

1870 in spiritualism, "subtle emanation around living beings;" earlier "characteristic impression" made by a personality (1859), earlier still "gentle breeze" (late 14c.), from Latin aura "breeze, wind, air," from Greek aura "breath, breeze," from PIE root *awer- (see air (n.1)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
aura in Medicine

aura

(ôr′ə)
n. pl. au•ras
  1. A sensation, as of a cold breeze or a bright light, that precedes the onset of certain disorders, such as an epileptic seizure or an attack of migraine.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.