Meaning & use
St. Elmo's fire
A glowing electrical discharge that appears on pointed objects like ship masts or aircraft wings during thunderstorms.
See it in a sentence
Sailors once saw St. Elmo's fire flickering on the ship's mast during the violent storm.
Pilots sometimes report St. Elmo's fire dancing along the windshield when flying through charged clouds.
A note on using this word
The phenomenon is named after St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors, and is caused by strong atmospheric electric fields, not real flame.
Words with a similar meaning
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