St. Elmo's fire

[ el-mohz ]

noun

1. corona discharge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of St. Elmo's fire¹

Named after St. Elmo (died a.d. 303), patron saint of sailors

Example Sentences

On the Sonnblick a display of St. Elmos fire has been observed to last as long as eight hours.

From Project Gutenberg

This phenomenon is known as St. Elmos fire or corposants (not to mention a score of other names, ancient and modern).

From Project Gutenberg