nimbus
- A luminous cloud or halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint in art; also, a large grey rain cloud.
- In meteorology, used as a combining form (e.g., cumulonimbus) to denote rain-producing cloud formations.
In a sentence
- The medieval icon depicted the saint with a golden nimbus that seemed to radiate outward from the panel.
- A dark nimbus gathered on the horizon, and within the hour the storm had broken over the town.
Usage note. In art history, prefer 'nimbus' or 'aureole' for the divine halo effect; 'halo' is the more general everyday term and is acceptable in all contexts.
Where it comes from
English nimbus — “halo; rain cloud” · entered English 17th c.
Directly from Latin 'nimbus', meaning 'rainstorm', 'cloud', or 'aureole surrounding a deity', and also used to describe the cloud or aura around the heads of gods and emperors in Roman art. The word entered English in the 17th century in both the meteorological and iconographic senses.