aureole.

1. A ring or field of radiance around a sacred figure, or something resembling that surround.

2. An impression of radiance, vitality, or distinction surrounding a person or thing.

3. A luminous area around the sun or another bright light seen through thin cloud or mist.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• golden aureole
• an aureole of hair
• a saint's aureole

On the page

The carving showed a narrow aureole behind the saint's head.

Usage notes

Primary category: poetic / figurative / atmospheric. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Singular aureole; plural aureoles. Variant aureola; standard plural aureolas. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Sacred halo or analogous surround, figurative personal radiance and optical glow differentiated. Variant aureola is an alias, not another new headword. Writing functions: atmospheric description, sensory precision.