moonbow means A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, usually fainter than a daytime rainbow and with fewer distinguishable colours. It carries an Arena rating of 1708, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, moonbow ranks #174 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #185 of 17,137 for Most Exacting Words, #1,121 of 17,128 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,064 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words.
moonbow is pronounced /ˈmuːnbəʊ/.
Why “moonbow” is a great word
A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, appearing as a spectral, often monochrome ghost of its daytime counterpart. From moon + bow, by analogy with rainbow, first recorded in 1871. Unlike the brazen 'rainbow,' which demands brilliant sun, or the crisp 'halo,' a geometric ring of ice-crystal light, a moonbow is a phenomenon of subtlety and near-absence. It is the faint, trembling arc over a waterfall in deep twilight, the almost-imagined smear of luminance in midnight sea spray, the pale signature of reflected light on a dark wood's mist—proof that beauty persists even when its source has turned its face away.
Etymology
From moon + bow, by analogy with rainbow.
noun
- A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, usually fainter than a daytime rainbow and with fewer distinguishable colours.e.g.“Often rainbows by night or moonbows span the lake.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- sunbow 68% match — A bow or arc of prismatic colors like a rainbow, caused by refraction through a spray of water from a cataract, waterfall, fountain, etc., rather than through droplets of rain. vs moonbow →
- foambow 67% match — A kind of rainbow or fogbow seen as sunlight passes through the airborne water droplets of a waterfall. vs moonbow →
- moonbeam 66% match — A ray or shaft of moonlight. vs moonbow →
- moonpath 63% match — The elongated reflection of the moon on the water. vs moonbow →
- icebow 62% match — An atmospheric phenomenon resembling a rainbow but associated with ice crystals. vs moonbow →
- fogbow 62% match — A white arc or circle, similar to a rainbow, which can appear in the sky in foggy conditions as sunlight passes through small airborne water droplets. vs moonbow →
- snowbow 61% match — An atmospheric phenomenon resembling a rainbow but associated with snow. vs moonbow →
- moonglow 61% match — moonlight vs moonbow →