aureole

[ awr-ee-ohl ]

noun

1. a radiance surrounding the head or the whole figure in the representation of a sacred personage.
2. any encircling ring of light or color; halo.
3. Astronomy. corona ( def 3 ).
4. Geology. a zone of altered country rock around an igneous intrusion.

aureole

/ ˈɔːrɪˌəʊl; ɔːˈriːələ /

noun

1. (esp in paintings of Christian saints and the deity) a border of light or radiance enveloping the head or sometimes the whole of a figure represented as holy
2. a less common word for halo
3. another name for corona

Word History and Origins

Origin of aureole¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin aureola (corona) “golden (crown),” equivalent to aure(us) “golden” ( aureate ) + -ola, feminine of -olus noun suffix ( -ole ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of aureole¹

C13: from Old French auréole, from Medieval Latin ( corōna ) aureola golden (crown), from Latin aureolus golden, from aurum gold

Example Sentences

A dark, phallic figure 14 inches high, it had three poked-in divots for eyes and a mouth and was surrounded by a pinched circle of clay that could have been a kind of ersatz sacred grotto or aureole or the figure’s own upraised arms.

From New York Times

With the Taylor company, he was in the original cast of “Scudorama,” “Orbs” and “Aureole,” a now-classic work that retains a portrait of his character in its happy hopping.

From New York Times

Eve’s long, spiraling strands of hair blow out into a radiant aureole behind her shapely body, as if it were a starburst halo framing a divinity.

From Los Angeles Times

Like his crossed legs, Cannon’s head and upper torso are framed in flickering swipes of green, as if this is a depiction of a holy man surrounded by an incandescent aureole.

From Los Angeles Times

And everything is framed by an aureole of crisp fern leaves reaching to the canvas’s edges — a many-pointed crown.

From New York Times