aurora
aurora Lexical Profile
aurora Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of shifting bands or streamers of light in the night sky, primarily occurring at high latitudes near the magnetic poles.
"We traveled to northern Iceland in the depths of winter, hoping to catch a glimpse of the spectacular green aurora."
The dawn or the first light of day (often used in literary or poetic contexts).
"The poet described the golden aurora breaking over the quiet, mist-covered mountains."
The Roman goddess of the dawn.
"In classical mythology, Aurora is often depicted riding across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot to announce the arrival of the sun."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word is most commonly encountered in the binomials 'aurora borealis' (Northern Lights) and 'aurora australis' (Southern Lights). Both 'auroras' and the Latinate 'aurorae' are accepted plural forms.
• Rhymes for aurora
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin 'aurora' (dawn, daybreak, sunrise), which derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *aus- (to shine). It is related to the Roman goddess of the dawn.