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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.

Use "halo" in a sentence
  • "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."