sundog

or sun dog

[ suhn-dawg, -dog ]

noun

1. parhelion.
2. a small or incomplete rainbow.

sundog

/ ˈsʌnˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. another word for parhelion
2. a small rainbow or halo near the horizon

Word History and Origins

Origin of sundog¹

First recorded in 1625–35; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

"The colors usually go from red closest to the sun, out to blue on the outside of the sundog," the NWS explained in a blog post.

From Fox News

A feast prepared by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe capped a day in which even the clouds wore rainbows of sundogs.

From Seattle Times

After a week of wild conditions - featuring "weather bomb" gales and "thundersnow" - the Sun takes the opportunity to explain some of the more baffling meteorological terms, such as sundogs, haboobs and supercells.

From BBC

A rainbow wrapped around the sun – a phenomenon called a sundog.

From The Guardian

On either side of it, great, gasping sundogs struggled.

From Project Gutenberg