aurora borealis [bawr-ee-al-is, -ey-lis, bohr-] ExamplesWord Origin noun Meteorology.
- the aurora of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of aurora borealis 1621; New Latin: northern aurora; see boreal Also called northern lights, aurora polaris. Examples from the Web for aurora borealis Historical Examples of aurora borealis
Such kind of talk, wherever it may be, is only like the aurora-borealis, or like dissolving views which for the moment please.
John Bate
British Dictionary definitions for aurora borealis aurora borealis noun
- (sometimes capital) the aurora seen around the North PoleAlso called: northern lights
Word Origin for aurora borealis C17: New Latin: northern aurora Word Origin and History for aurora borealis n.
1620s, “Northern Lights,” literally “northern dawn,” said to have been coined by French philosopher Petrus Gassendus (1592-1655) after a spectacular display seen in France Sept. 2, 1621; see aurora + boreal. In northern Scotland and among sailors, sometimes called the dancers or the merry dancers.
aurora borealis in Culture aurora borealis [(uh-rawr-uh bawr-ee-al-is)]
A display of colored lights in the sky, also called northern lights, caused by the interaction of particles from the sun with the upper atmosphere near the North Pole. A similar display, called the aurora australis, occurs in the atmosphere above the South Pole.