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Halo Common

Halo has 6 different meanings across 1 category:

Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint

"In medieval religious paintings, angels often appear as attendants to saints who are depicted wearing a halo of radiant light around their heads."

2

a toroidal shape

"a ring of ships in the harbor"

"a halo of smoke"

3

a circle of light around the sun or moon

"A bright halo circled the full moon on the cold winter night."

4

A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.

"The team planned their halo jump to reach terminal velocity before pulling the cord at just fifty feet above the ground."

5

Acronym of high altitude, low opening. A type of skydiving where one leaves the launch platform from a high altitude and opens the parachute at a very low altitude.

In plain English: A halo is a glowing ring of light that appears around something, often used to show it is holy or special.

"The bright light created a beautiful halo around the moon in the night sky."

Usage: Use this term to describe the optical phenomenon where a ring of colored light appears around the sun or moon due to atmospheric ice crystals. Do not confuse it with religious imagery, as that usage refers to a symbolic circle rather than a physical weather event.

Verb
1

To encircle with a halo.

"The bright light seemed to halo her face as she walked into the church."

Example Sentences
"The bright light created a beautiful halo around the moon in the night sky." noun
"The child wore a paper halo above her head for the school play." noun
"A bright halo surrounded the full moon in the night sky." noun
"She placed a golden halo on top of his cake to look like an angel." noun
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
light toroid atmospheric phenomenon
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
fairy ring solar halo

Origin

The word "halo" comes from Ancient Greek, where it originally meant a threshing floor or disk before evolving to describe the ring of light seen around the sun or moon. It entered English in 1563 with its general sense of a circular band, while the specific religious meaning of light surrounding someone's head appeared later in 1646.

Rhyming Words
alo balo kalo lalo malo palo salo calo talo valo italo ivalo oxalo chalo megalo mahalo bufalo dihalo enhalo yakalo
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