aureole

[ awr-ee-ohl ]
/ ˈɔr iˌoʊl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR aureole ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a radiance surrounding the head or the whole figure in the representation of a sacred personage.
any encircling ring of light or color; halo.
Astronomy. corona(def 3).
Geology. a zone of altered country rock around an igneous intrusion.

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Also au·re·o·la [aw-ree-uh-luh, uh-ree-] /ɔˈri ə lə, əˈri-/.

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 -ole1)

Words nearby aureole

aureate language, aurelia, aurelian, aurelius, aurene glass, aureole, aureolin, aureomycin, aureus, auri-, auric
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to aureole

corona, halo

Example sentences from the Web for aureole

British Dictionary definitions for aureole

aureole

aureola (ɔːˈriːələ)

/ (ˈɔːrɪˌəʊl) /

noun

(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
a less common word for halo
another name for corona (def. 2)

Word Origin for aureole

C13: from Old French auréole, from Medieval Latin (corōna) aureola golden (crown), from Latin aureolus golden, from aurum gold
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

Scientific definitions for aureole

aureole
[ ôr′ē-ōl′ ]

A band of metamorphic rock surrounding a body of cooled magma. Aureoles form through the process of contact metamorphism. See more at contact metamorphism.
See corona.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.