Nearby Words
Synonyms

aurora

[aw-rawr-uh, aw-rohr-uh, uh-rawr-uh, uh-rohr-uh] Example Sentences Origin

Au·ro·ra

[aw-rawr-uh, aw-rohr-uh, uh-rawr-uh, uh-rohr-uh]
noun, plural Au·ro·ras, Au·ro·rae [uh-rawr-ee, uh-rohr-ee] for 2, 3.
1.
the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn. Compare Eos.
2.
(lowercase) dawn.
3.
(lowercase) Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth's magnetic lines of force.
4.
a city in central Colorado, near Denver. 158,588.
5.
a city in NE Illinois. 81,293.
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6.
a female given name.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin aurōra dawn, dawn goddess, east
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Aurora is always a great word to know.
So is anemometry. Does it mean:
air pollution containing ozone and reactive chemical compounds formed by sunlight on nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, often from auto exhaust
the science of measuring the speed of wind
Example Sentences
  • Keep a careful watch on the northern sky during this week for possible sightings of the aurora borealis, or northern lights.
  • Part of the new year's first big display of northern lights, an aurora borealis appears to dip into the mountains near.
  • But they found it kept working thanks to the power from the aurora.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
aurora (ɔːˈrɔːrə)
 
n , pl -ras, -rae
1.  an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands, curtains, or streamers of light, usually green, red, or yellow, that move across the sky in polar regions. It is caused by collisions between air molecules and charged particles from the sun that are trapped in the earth's magnetic field
2.  poetic the dawn
 
[C14: from Latin: dawn; see east]
 
au'roral
 
adj
 
au'rorally
 
adv

Aurora1 (ɔːˈrɔːrə)
 
n
1.  Greek counterpart: Eos the Roman goddess of the dawn
2.  the dawn or rise of something

Aurora2 (ɔːˈrɔːrə)
 
n
another name for Maewo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

aurora
late 14c., from L. Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, from PIE *ausus- "dawn," also the name of the Indo-European goddess of the dawn, from base *aus- "to shine," especially of the dawn (cf. Gk. eos "dawn," auein "to dry, kindle;" Skt. usah, Lith. ausra "dawn;" L. auster "south wind," usum "to burn;"
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O.E. east "east").
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
aurora   (ə-rôr'ə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural auroras or aurorae (ə-rôr'ē)
A brilliant display of bands or folds of variously colored light in the sky at night, especially in polar regions. Charged particles from the solar wind are channeled through the Earth's magnetic field into the polar regions. There the particles collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, ionizing them and making them glow. Auroras are of greatest intensity and extent during periods of increased sunspot activity, when they often interfere with telecommunications on Earth. ◇ An aurora that occurs in southern latitudes is called an aurora australis (ô-strā'lĭs) or southern lights. When it occurs in northern latitudes it is called an aurora borealis (bôr'ē-āl'ĭs) or northern lights. See also magnetic storm.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

Aurora definition


["The Aurora Or-Parallel Prolog System", E. Lusk et al, Proc 3rd Intl Conf on Fifth Generation Comp Systems, pp. 819-830, ICOT, A-W 1988].

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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