nimbus

[ nim-buhs ]

noun

, plural nim·bi [nim, -b, uh, bahy], nim·bus·es.

1. Classical Mythology. a shining cloud sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth.
2. a cloud, aura, atmosphere, etc., surrounding a person or thing:

   The candidate was encompassed with a nimbus of fame.

3. halo ( def 1 ).
4. the type of dense clouds or cloud mass with ragged edges, that yields rain or snow; a rain cloud.
5. (initial capital letter) U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of polar-orbiting meteorological and environmental research satellites, the last of which Nimbus 7, launched 1978, was the first satellite designed to monitor atmospheric pollutants.

nimbus

/ ˈnɪmbəs /

noun

1. 1. a dark grey rain-bearing cloud
   2. ( in combination )

      cumulonimbus clouds

2. 1. an emanation of light surrounding a saint or deity
   2. a representation of this emanation
3. a surrounding aura or atmosphere

nimbus

/ nĭm′bəs /

, Plural nimbi nĭm′bī′

1. A rain cloud.

Derived Forms

• ˈnimbused, adjective

Other Words From

• nimbused adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nimbus¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin, “rainstorm, rain cloud, thundercloud, cloud”; akin to Latin nebula and Greek nephélē, néphos “cloud,” and Slavic ( Polish ) niebo “sky, heaven”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nimbus¹

C17: from Latin: cloud, radiance

Example Sentences

Looming through the tall windows along the back wall, dark skies were crammed with nimbus clouds.

From Literature

Radar domes, used for military surveillance, floated like nimbus clouds.

From New York Times

With his bald pate and nimbus of gray, scowling behind spectacles, he had long been a favorite of editorial cartoonists.

From New York Times

All these flat shapes are limned by dark lines — the reverse of the delicate nimbus of light surrounding them in the original.

From Washington Post

Even when the music whips up complex, noisy nimbuses of competing motifs, the fast, finely judged changes within the dense activity are preparing you for variations on the weather.

From New York Times