aura
/ˈɔːrə/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
αὔρα — breeze, breath of air
Overview
Meaning Now
- The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place.
- A temporary sensory perception, such as a flash of light or a peculiar smell, that occurs before the onset of a migraine or epileptic seizure.
Literal older meaning
breeze or breath
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
aura
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word originally referred to the physical sensation of air or wind. By the 19th century, it was adopted by medical practitioners to describe the sensory phenomena preceding neurological events, and later by occultists to describe an invisible field of energy surrounding living beings.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
αὔρα
“breeze, morning air”
- Classical Latin
aura
“breeze, air, wind”
Adopted into Latin as a poetic term for air or atmosphere.
- Late Latin
aura
“vapor, emanation”
Expanded to mean an invisible emanation.
- Middle English
aura
“breeze or subtle emanation”
Used in medical contexts to describe pre-seizure sensations.
Connections
Word parts
aura
root
breeze/air
Related across languages
Latin
breeze
French
aure
breeze
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Related to aura
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.