corona.

1. The hot, diffuse outer atmosphere of a star, visible around the sun during a total eclipse.

2. A set of luminous rings around a light source caused by diffraction through fine droplets or particles.

3. A localized electrical discharge around a conductor that ionizes nearby gas without forming a complete spark path.

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Words that belong together

• solar corona
• coronal loop

On the page

The eclipse exposed the sun’s pale corona.

A loop of plasma arched through the corona above the active region.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Singular: corona; plural: coronas or coronae, depending on usage. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.