paraselene

[ par-uh-si-lee-nee ]

noun

, Meteorology.

, plural par·a·se·le·nae [par-, uh, -si-, lee, -nee].

1. a bright moonlike spot on a lunar halo; a mock moon. Compare parhelion.

paraselene

/ ˌpærəsɪˈliːnɪ /

noun

1. meteorol a bright image of the moon on a lunar halo Also calledmock moon Compare parhelion

Derived Forms

• ˌparaseˈlenic, adjective

Other Words From

• par·a·se·le·nic [par-, uh, -si-, lee, -nik, -, len, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraselene¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from New Latin, equivalent to para- para- ¹ + Greek selḗnē “the moon”

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraselene¹

C17: New Latin, from para- ¹+ Greek selēnē moon

Example Sentences

Beneath the glamour of the magic night, the weird paraselene of the moon's phenomenon, the glow of the volcano, the noises, the men whispered of one thing only—Gold!

From Project Gutenberg

On the evening of November 11, there was a brilliant paraselene, two distinct halos and eight false moons being visible in the southern sky.

From Project Gutenberg

When there are two suns visible, or two moons, the real one and its duplicate, we call the mock sun a parhelios, and the mock moon a paraselene.

From Project Gutenberg

This morning it was calm and clear save for a light misty veil of ice crystals through which the moon shone with scarce clouded brilliancy, surrounded with bright cruciform halo and white paraselene.

From Project Gutenberg

All day it has been blowing hard, 30 to 60 miles an hour; it has never looked very dark overhead, but a watery cirrus has been in evidence for some time, causing well marked paraselene.

From Project Gutenberg