[pahr-hee-lee-uh
n, -heel-yuhn] 
[-hee-lee-uh, -heel-yuh] . Meteorology. | a bright circular spot on a solar halo; a mock sun: usually one of two or more such spots seen on opposite sides of the sun, and often accompanied by additional luminous arcs and bands. |
lion, n. use of neut. of parlios beside the sun. See par-, helio- [pahr-hi-lahy-uh-kuhl] , adjective | par·he·li·a (pär-hē'lē-ə, -hēl'yə) n. Plural of parhelion. |
| par·he·li·on (pär-hē'lē-ən, -hēl'yən) n. pl. par·he·li·a (-hē'lē-ə, -hēl'yə) A bright spot sometimes appearing on either side of the sun, often on a luminous ring or halo. [Latin parēlion, from Greek : para-, beside; see para-1 + hēlios, sun; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.] par·he'lic (-hē'lĭk) adj. |
| parhelion (pär-hē'lē-ən) Pronunciation Key
Plural parhelia A white spot appearing at times in the parhelic circle. White parhelia are believed to form from light that is reflected off of atmospheric ice crystals; colored parhelia are believed to form from light that is refracted by atmospheric ice crystals. Multiple parhelia can often be seen simultaneously. Compare anthelion. |