Nimbus

WOTD - 1 December 2006    

English

Noun

Nimbus (plural nimbi or nimbuses)

1. A circle of light; a halo.
2. A gray rain cloud.

Notes

• (circle of light): In heraldry and art, a nimbus may be considered distinct from a halo. The term halo can refer to an open ring of light or of gold behind the head of a saint, while nimbus refers to a solid disk of light or gold.

Synonyms

• (circle of light): halo

Thesaurus

Cloudcuckooland, alto-cumulus, alto-stratus, anthelion, antisun, anvil cloud, aura, aureole, banner cloud, billowy cloud, blaze of glory, brilliance, brilliancy, cap cloud, charisma, circle, cirro-cumulus, cirro-fillum, cirro-nebula, cirro-stratus, cirro-velum, cirrus, cirrus cloud, cirrus haze, cirrus stripe, cloud, cloud band, cloud bank, cloud drift, cloud mass, cloud street, cloudland, cloudling, cloudscape, cocktail, corona, cottony cloud, countersun, cumulo-cirro-stratus, cumulo-cirrus, cumulo-nimbus, cumulo-stratus, cumulus, cumulus cloud, curl cloud, envelope, fleecy cloud, fractocumulus, glamour, glory, halo, high fog, illustriousness, lunar corona, lunar halo, luster, mackerel sky, magic, mammatocumulus, mock moon, mock sun, moon dog, mushroom cloud, mystique, nimbus cloud, numinousness, paraselene, parhelic circle, parhelion, radiance, rain cloud, rainbow, resplendence, resplendency, ring, scud, snail cloud, solar corona, solar halo, splendor, squall cloud, storm cloud, strato-cumulus, stratus, stratus cloud, sun dog, thundercloud, thunderhead, water carrier, woolpack

Etymology

From Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈnɪmbəs/

• Audio (US)

  noicon

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɪmbəs

Translations

circle of light; halo

Bosnian: nimbus (bs) m., oreol (bs) m. French: nimbe (fr) German: Nimbus (de) m. Italian: nimbo (it) m. Japanese: 後光 (gokō) Latin: nimbus (la) m.

Russian: нимб (ru) (nimb) m., ореол (ru) (or'eól) m. Serbian: Cyrillic: нимбус m., ореол m. Roman: nimbus m., oreol m. Serbo-Croatian: svetokrug (sh), aureola (sh), oreol (sh), nimbus (sh), halo (sh) Turkish: ayla (tr), hale (tr)

rain cloud

French: nimbus (fr) Japanese: 雨雲 (amagumo) Latin: nimbus (la) m.

Russian: дождевое облако (dožd'evóje óblako) n. Turkish: yağmur bulutu (tr)

Related terms

• nimbed

See also

• halo

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Bosnian

Noun

1. (religion) halo
2. nimbus

Synonyms

• oreol

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Latin

Noun

nimbus (genitive nimbī); m, second declension

1. rainstorm, rain shower
2. rain cloud, thunder cloud
3. cloud
4. halo (visible aura of divine power)
5. throng
6. (figuratively) calamity, tempest

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈnɪm.bʊs/

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	nimbus	nimbī
genitive	nimbī	nimbōrum
dative	nimbō	nimbīs
accusative	nimbum	nimbōs
ablative	nimbō	nimbīs
vocative	nimbe	nimbī

See also

• nebula
• nūbēs
• nūbifer
• nūbigena
• nūbilum
• nūbilus

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Serbian

Noun

Nimbus m. (Cyrillic spelling нимбус)

1. (religion) halo
2. nimbus

Synonyms

• oreol