Definition of "halo" []

• A circular band of colored light around a light source, as around the sun or moon, caused by the refraction and reflection of light by ice particles suspended in the intervening atmosphere. (noun)
• Something resembling this band. (noun)
• A luminous ring or disk of light surrounding the heads or bodies of sacred figures, such as saints, in religious paintings; a nimbus. (noun)
• The aura of majesty or glory surrounding a person or thing that is regarded with reverence, awe, or sentiment. (noun)
• To encircle with or as if with a halo. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "One way to remove this halo is to image another bright star in this mode, such as Vega, and subtract that halo from the one around Fomalhaut."
• "The word halo most likely evolves from the Greek helias, meaning sun."
• "But the halo is an uneasy fit, as nearly anyone whose familiarity with college basketball extends beyond a television screen would tell you."