halo
[ hey-loh ]
/ ˈheɪ loʊ /
noun, plural ha·los, ha·loes.
verb (used with object), ha·loed, ha·lo·ing.
to surround with a halo.
verb (used without object), ha·loed, ha·lo·ing.
to form a halo.
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Origin of halo
1555–65; <Latin, accusative of halōs circle round sun or moon <Greek hálōs such a circle, disk, originally threshing floor
OTHER WORDS FROM halo
un·ha·loed, adjectiveDefinition for halo (2 of 2)
halo-
a combining form meaning “salt,” used in the formation of compound words (halophyte); sometimes specialized as a combining form of halogen (halothane).
Also especially before a vowel, hal-.
Origin of halo-
<Greek, combining form of háls salt
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for halo (1 of 2)
halo
/ (ˈheɪləʊ) /
noun plural -loes or -los
a disc or ring of light around the head of an angel, saint, etc, as in painting or sculpture
the aura surrounding an idealized, famous, or admired person, thing, or event
a circle of light around the sun or moon, caused by the refraction of light by particles of ice
astronomy a spherical cloud of stars surrounding the Galaxy and other spiral galaxies
verb -loes, -los, -loing or -loed
to surround with or form a halo
Derived forms of halo
halo-like, adjectiveWord Origin for halo
C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin halōs circular threshing floor, from Greek
British Dictionary definitions for halo (2 of 2)
halo-
hali- or before a vowel hal-
combining form
indicating salt or the seahalophyte
relating to or containing a halogenhalothane
Word Origin for halo-
from Greek hals, hal- sea, salt
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
Medical definitions for halo (1 of 2)
halo
[ hā′lō ]
n. pl. ha•los
A reddish yellow ring surrounding the optic disk, caused by an expansion of the scleral ring that makes the deeper structures visible.
Glaucomatous halo.
A ring of light surrounding a luminous body.
Medical definitions for halo (2 of 2)
halo-
pref.
Salt:halophilic.
Halogen:halide.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for halo
halo
[ hā′lō ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.