nimbus means A circle of light; a halo. It carries an Arena rating of 1680, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, nimbus ranks #2,309 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,319 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable, #7,156 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words.
nimbus is pronounced /ˈnɪmbəs/.
Why “nimbus” is a great word
A luminous cloud or halo surrounding a sacred figure, or a dark gray rain cloud. From Latin nimbus ("dark cloud, rainstorm"), likely related to nebula ("cloud, mist"); the meteorological sense for a rain cloud was coined in 1803 by the British meteorologist Luke Howard. Unlike a halo, which is a purely symbolic ring of light, or a cumulonimbus, a specific towering storm cloud, nimbus is the diffuse glow around a deity in a Renaissance painting, the featureless leaden blanket that promises a downpour, and the tangible atmosphere of reverence or gloom that precedes an event. It is where divinity and downpour share the same breath.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”). Doublet of nimb.
Sense 2 (“grey rain cloud”) was coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation.
noun
- A circle of light; a halo.
- A grey rain cloud.“[pages 99–100] Cumulo-cirro-stratus vel Nimbus. […] The rain cloud. A cloud or system of clouds from which rain is falling. It is a horizontal sheet, above which the cirrus spreads, while the cumulus enters it laterally and from beneath. […] [page 107] The nimbus, although in itself one of the least beautiful clouds, is yet now and then superbly decorated with its attendant the rainbow; which can ”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- aureola 86% match — Radiance of luminous cloud that surrounds the figure in a painting of a sacred personage. vs nimbus →
- aureole 85% match — A circle of light or halo around the head of a deity or a saint. vs nimbus →
- gloriole 84% match — halo vs nimbus →
- cirrostratus 81% match — A principal high-level cloud type appearing as a whitish veil, usually fibrous but sometimes smooth, which may totally cover the sky and which often produces halo phenomena. vs nimbus →
- rainlight 80% match — The dim light that occurs on an overcast and rainy day. vs nimbus →
- heiligenschein 80% match — An optical phenomenon which creates a bright spot around the shadow of the viewer's head, when the surface on which the shadow falls has special optical characteristics (as with dewy grass). vs nimbus →
- cloudburst 80% match — A sudden heavy rainstorm. vs nimbus →
- inaureole 79% match — To give (someone) a halo; to surround (someone or something) with light. vs nimbus →