aurora
aurora Lexical Profile
aurora Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A natural electrical phenomenon appearing as vibrant ribbons, curtains, or arcs of colored light in the night sky near the polar regions, caused by the interaction of charged solar particles with the Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere.
"The expedition team camped out on the frozen tundra for three nights hoping to photograph a vivid green aurora."
American A major city in north-central Colorado forming part of the eastern Denver metropolitan area, or a large suburban city in northeastern Illinois located along the Fox River west of Chicago.
The dawn or first appearance of light in the eastern sky before sunrise; also (capitalized) the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn, corresponding to the Greek Eos.
"In classical poetry, the rosy-fingered aurora is often depicted heralding the arrival of the sun's chariot."
Canadian A suburban town in central Ontario, Canada, situated in the York Region within the Greater Toronto Area.
• Rhymes for aurora
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Middle English from Latin 'aurora', meaning 'dawn' and naming the Roman goddess of the morning, ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to shine'. The astronomical sense of polar lights was coined in 1621 by the French scientist Pierre Gassendi.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.