'aureola' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aureola', where the root 'aur-' (from Latin 'aurum') meant 'gold' and the suffix '-eola' served as a diminutive.

'aureola' changed from Medieval Latin 'aureola' (and appears alongside Old French 'aureole') and was adopted into English (also attested in the variant spelling 'aureole'), eventually producing the modern English 'aureola' and its plural forms.

Initially it meant 'little golden thing' or 'small golden ring', but over time it evolved to mean 'a ring or circle of light' and, by extension, 'an aura or halo of distinction'.