halo

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Either of two large circles of light surrounding the Sun or Moon that result from therefraction of sunlight by small, hexagonal ice crystals falling slowly through the air. Light passing through the side faces of a hexagonal prism is refracted by an amount that depends on the orientation of the crystal; but a collection of many crystals refracts light passing through two side faces by an average angle of about 22°. If such crystals tumble randomly as they fall, they will produce the 22° halo, a circle around the Sun with an angular radius of 22°. Rays that pass through a side face and an end face of the prism similarly produce the larger and fainter 46° halo. The halos sometimes have a red inner edge and otherwise appear nearly white.

Many similar effects result from rays passing through ice crystals that assume special orientations as they fall, and from rays undergoing combination of reflection and refraction in an ice crystal. Usually, all of these effects are referred to as halo effects. See also Meteorological optics; Sun dog.

The halo, usually represented as a luminous figure around the head of a god or holy person, appears in the iconography of a number of religious traditions. The indigenous civilizations of Central America depict agrarian gods with golden crowns or halos, suggesting an association of the halo with the sun. This is clearest in the Inca god, Viracocha, who wears a tiara that is also a sun. In other traditions, the connection to light symbolism is much more general, pointing to intellect, knowledge, or enlightenment. Within some Mahayana Buddhist texts, for example, bodhisattvas are described as having halos studded with 500 Buddhas, each attended by numberless gods. In this way, the halo points to the transcendent nature of the bodhisattva.

The halo is used in Hellenistic representations of gods and goddesses and those associated with them. Similarly, in Christianity, halos around the head of a figure mark it as divine or saintly. In the third and fourth centuries, the halo or nimbus (Latin: ‘cloud’ or ‘mist’) was used only for Christ and the lamb. In the fifth century and after, it was extended to the Virgin Mary, angels, and saints. By the eighth century, square halos were used to designate donors, bishops, and popes.

When used for human figures, the halo represents holiness or sanctity, and its iconography is developed to mark important distinctions between the figures represented. Square zones of light behind the head are used to show that the person was living at the time the painting was made. The square is inferior to the circle and is associated with the earth. Trinitarian figures often have three rays of light emanating from the head. The Virgin Mary always appears with a circular halo. A cross within the circle of light is used to signify Christ. Halos also appear around the heads of animals who symbolize a saintly or divine figure. A lamb with a circular halo within which the cross appears, for example, is a common figure for Christ.

— Amy Hollywood

Bibliography

• Collinet-Guérin, M. (1961). Histoire du nimbus des origines au temps modernes. Nouvelles Editions Latines, Paris

In meteorology, a ring of light around the sun or, more rarely, the moon. It is caused by the refraction of light by ice crystals, thus, in popular lore, a halo round the moon foreshadows snow. A coloured halo is a corona.

n.

Properly, a luminous ring encircling an astronomical body, but not infrequently confounded with "aureola," or "nimbus," a somewhat similar phenomenon worn as a head-dress by divinities and saints. The halo is a purely optical illusion, produced by moisture in the air, in the manner of a rainbow; but the aureola is conferred as a sign of superior sanctity, in the same way as a bishop's mitre, or the Pope's tiara. In the painting of the Nativity, by Szedgkin, a pious artist of Pesth, not only do the Virgin and the Child wear the nimbus, but an ass nibbling hay from the sacred manger is similarly decorated and, to his lasting honor be it said, appears to bear his unaccustomed dignity with a truly saintly grace.

Tutor's tip: Note: To "hallow" is to make holy. A "halo" is a circle of light around a religious figure. Something with a hole or void inside is "hollow".

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

A dream of oneself with a halo may signify that perfection is a goal for the dreamer. Alternatively, it may represent an exaggerated "holier than thou" attitude.

• Celestial Phenomena and Points - halo: circle of definite size around sun or moon caused by ice particles in atmosphere
• Christianity - halo: radiant light surrounding head of Jesus, Mary, or any saint
• Occult States and Experiences - halo: aureole

Dansk (Danish)
n. - glorie, stråleglans
v. tr. - omgive med glorie

Nederlands (Dutch)
aureool, stralenkrans, heiligenkrans, licht/ -dampkring om hemellichamen, floers, met een halo omgeven

Français (French)
n. - auréole, (fig) odeur de sainteté (hum), image, (Astron) halo
v. tr. - auréoler

Deutsch (German)
n. - Glorienschein, Halo, Hof
v. - mit einem Glorienschein umgeben

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - άλως, φωτοστέφανο(ς), αίγλη, στεφάνι ηλίου ή σελήνης, άλως
v. - περιβάλλω με φωτοστέφανο

Italiano (Italian)
aureola, alone

Português (Portuguese)
n. - halo (m), glória (f) (fig.)
v. - cercar com um halo

Русский (Russian)
ореол, окружать ореолом, кольцо вокруг планет

Español (Spanish)
n. - halo, aureola, nimbo
v. tr. - rodear con un halo o aureola, formar un halo o aureola

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (helgon)gloria, solgård, ljusgård (foto), halo(fenomen)
v. - omge med gloria, bilda en gloria

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
晕轮, 荣光, 光圈, 使有晕轮, 围以光环

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 暈輪, 榮光, 光圈
v. tr. - 使有暈輪, 圍以光環

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (해, 달의) 무리, 후광, 영광
v. tr. - ~을 광륜으로 둘러싸다, 후광이 되다, 무리가 서다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 暈, 後光, 栄光, かさ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الهاله دارة القمر طفاوة الشمس, هاله القداسه إشعاع نوراني يطوف الرأس, كما في صورة قديس مثلا, هاله تقديس يحاط بها شخص أو شئ (فعل) يشكل هاله, يطوق بهاله‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עטרת-אור, הילה, זוהר המקושר עם אדם הנחשב לאידיאלי, מעגל‬
v. tr. - ‮הקיף בהילת אור‬

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