auroras
|au-ro-ras|
🇺🇸
/əˈrɔɹəz/
🇬🇧
/əˈrɔːrəz/
(aurora)
dawn, natural light display
Etymology
'aurora' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aurōra', where the root (from Proto-Indo-European '*h₂éusōs') meant 'dawn' or 'to shine'.
'aurora' changed from the Latin word 'aurōra' and was adopted into English from Latin (through literary and scientific usage), keeping its form and sense as 'dawn' and a name for the goddess, later also applied to polar light phenomena.
Initially, it meant 'dawn' or the Roman goddess of dawn; over time the term retained that meaning and was extended in modern usage to refer to the polar light displays observed in high-latitude skies.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'aurora': a natural light display in the sky, especially in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic (e.g., the northern lights and southern lights).
Last winter the auroras danced across the horizon for hours.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural of 'aurora': (literary or mythological) dawns or the Roman goddess Aurora who personified the dawn.
The poets wrote of auroras breaking over the sleeping city.
Synonyms
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Idioms
Last updated: 2025/11/21 11:22