aurora borealis
/əˈrɔːrə ˌbɔːriˈeɪlɪs/
noun
Origin
Latin
Aurora (dawn goddess) + borealis (northern) — Dawn of the North
Overview
Meaning Now
- A natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky, usually seen near the northern or southern magnetic pole.
Literal older meaning
northern dawn
Language path
Latin → New Latin
Earliest form
aurora borealis
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term was coined by the French scientist Pierre Gassendi in 1621 to describe the colorful displays of light he observed in the northern night sky, drawing upon Classical mythology to describe a phenomenon that had puzzled observers for millennia.
Evolution
- Roman Mythology
Aurora
“The Roman goddess of the dawn.”
Personification of dawn.
- Classical Latin
borealis
“northern”
Derived from Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.
- 17th century
aurora borealis
“The northern lights.”
Scientific nomenclature coined by Pierre Gassendi.
Connections
Word parts
aurora
root
dawn
borealis
root
northern
Related across languages
Italian
aurora boreale
northern lights
French
aurore boréale
northern lights
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Related to aurora borealis
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.