halo

¹ American  

[hey-loh] / ˈheɪ loʊ /

noun

plural

halos, haloes

1. Also called nimbus.  a geometric shape, usually in the form of a disk, circle, ring, or rayed structure, traditionally representing a radiant light around or above the head of a divine or sacred personage, an ancient or medieval monarch, etc.

2. an atmosphere or quality of glory, majesty, sanctity, or the like.

   The "profession" of a medieval lord cast a halo around him and made him a ruler of men.

3. Meteorology. any of a variety of bright circles or arcs centered on the sun or moon, caused by the refraction or reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the earth's atmosphere and exhibiting prismatic coloration ranging from red inside to blue outside (corona ).

4. Astronomy. a spherical cloud of gas clusters and stars that form part of a spiral galaxy.

5. any of various other things resembling a halo, especially a lighter or differently colored area surrounding an object.

   I think the scab was from some kind of bite, and now there's a halo around it with bruising.

6. Also called Cellini's halo.  Heiligenschein.

7. an undesirable bright or dark ring surrounding an image on the fluorescent screen of a television tube, due to some fault either in transmission or reception.

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verb (used with object)

haloed, haloing

1. to surround with a halo.

verb (used without object)

haloed, haloing

1. to form a halo.

halo- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “salt,” used in the formation of compound words (halophyte ); sometimes specialized as a combining form of halogen (halothane ).

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halo- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating salt or the sea

   halophyte

2. relating to or containing a halogen

   halothane

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halo ² British  

/ ˈheɪləʊ /

noun

1. a disc or ring of light around the head of an angel, saint, etc, as in painting or sculpture

2. the aura surrounding an idealized, famous, or admired person, thing, or event

3. a circle of light around the sun or moon, caused by the refraction of light by particles of ice

4. astronomy a spherical cloud of stars surrounding the Galaxy and other spiral galaxies

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verb

1. to surround with or form a halo

halo Scientific  

/ hā′lō /

1. A hazy ring of colored light in the sky around the Sun, Moon, or a similar bright object. A halo is caused by the reflection and refraction of light through atmospheric ice crystals.

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Other Word Forms

• halo-like adjective
• unhaloed adjective

Etymology

Origin of halo¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin, accusative of halōs “circle around the sun or moon,” from Greek hálōs “threshing floor; grain on a threshing floor; shield; halo”

Origin of halo-²

< Greek, combining form of háls salt

Example Sentences

“The ultimate outcome from the partnership is unclear, but it has a halo effect,” Raymond James analyst Simon Leopold wrote, in light of the stock move.

From MarketWatch

That subtle halo of light provided strong evidence that an underlying galaxy was present.

From Science Daily

Malinin was among those in the crowd who gave Liu - the alt girl with her iconic halo hair and lip piercing - a standing ovation as she wrote herself into Olympic folklore.

From BBC

“A mix of things are probably creating some degree of risk reduction that is in turn producing a halo effect for the dollar, which include some concerns about the euro region economically.”

From MarketWatch

The shower I desperately wanted is no longer a possibility, and my brown hair has formed a frizzy halo around my face.

From Literature