Meaning & use
aureole
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A bright ring or circle of light shown around the head of a holy figure in religious art.
Grammar: Countable; use an or an, and the plural is aureoles: an aureole around her head.
Patterns
- an aureole around someone's head
- be surrounded by an aureole
In the painting, a golden aureole surrounds the saint's head.
Medieval artists often used an aureole to show that a figure was holy.
The statue's aureole is made of thin gold leaf.
nouncountableliterary
A soft ring of light or glow around any object, such as the sun or moon.
Grammar: Countable and often used with of: an aureole of light.
Patterns
- an aureole of light
- an aureole around something
A pale aureole of light ringed the moon that night.
The streetlamp cast an aureole of yellow on the wet pavement.
Dust in the air created a faint aureole around the sun.
Word forms
| plural | aureoles |
|---|
Common combinations
- a golden aureole
- A golden aureole framed the head of the figure in the mosaic.
- an aureole of light
- An aureole of light spread out from the candle.
- surround someone with an aureole
- The artist surrounded the angel with a bright aureole.
- a faint aureole
- A faint aureole appeared around the moon before the storm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- halo
- The everyday word for a ring of light around a holy figure or a bright object; aureole is more formal and mostly used in art history.
- nimbus
- A technical term for a halo or bright cloud around a figure; aureole is the more common choice in descriptions of art.
- glow
- A general word for soft light; an aureole is specifically a ring shape around something.
Word family
- aureole noun
- a ring of light, especially in religious art
Commonly confused: aureole or oriel? aureole or areola?
aureole vs oriel
An oriel is a window that sticks out from a wall. It sounds a little like aureole but has nothing to do with light or halos.
aureole vs areola
Areola is the colored circle around the nipple, or a small ring-shaped area in biology. Aureole is about light around a figure or object.
Practice
In the fresco, a bright ___ surrounds the head of the saint.
Choose one answer.
'Aureole' is the ring of light painted around a holy figure. 'Areola' is a body part, and 'oriel' is a window, so neither fits the art context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aureole”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.