cor·po·sant  (kôr'pə-zənt)  n. See Saint Elmo's fire. [Portuguese and obsolete Spanish corpo santo, both from Latin corpus sānctum, holy body : corpus, body; see kwrep- in Indo-European roots + sānctus, holy, past participle of sancīre, to consecrate; see sak- in Indo-European roots.] |
| Saint El·mo's fire (ěl'mōz) n. A visible electric discharge on a pointed object, such as the mast of a ship or the wing of an airplane, during an electrical storm. Also called corposant. [After Saint Elmo, fourth-century A.D. patron saint of sailors.] |
| corposant | |
noun | |
| an electrical discharge accompanied by ionization of surrounding atmosphere [syn: corona discharge] |