fogbow

[ fog-boh, fawg- ]

/ ˈfɒgˌboʊ, ˈfɔg- /

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noun

a bow, arc, or circle of white or yellowish hue seen in or against a fog bank; a rainbow formed by fog droplets.

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Also called mistbow, seadog, white rainbow.

Origin of fogbow

First recorded in 1825–35; fog¹ + (rain)bow

Words nearby fogbow

foetus, fog, Fogarty, fog bank, fogbound, fogbow, fogdog, fog drip, fogey, fog fever, fog forest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fogbow in a sentence

Called a “glory,” it’s a bulls-eye that appears in the middle of a fogbow.
Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins|Matthew Cappucci|May 1, 2020|Science News For Students
How rare fogbows are “depends considerably on where you are on the planet,” says Les Cowley.
Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins|Matthew Cappucci|May 1, 2020|Science News For Students
Indeed, notes Cowley, “Cloudbows and fogbows are the same phenomenon.”
Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins|Matthew Cappucci|May 1, 2020|Science News For Students

British Dictionary definitions for fogbow

fogbow

/ (ˈfɒɡˌbəʊ) /

noun

a faint arc of light sometimes seen in a fog bankAlso called: seadog, white rainbow

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 fogbow

fogbow

[ fôg′bō′ ]

A faint white or yellowish arc-shaped light that sometimes appears in fog opposite the Sun. A fogbow is similar to a rainbow but forms in a cloud or in fog. Also called cloudbow