moonbow
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From moon + bow, by analogy with rainbow.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
moonbow (plural moonbows)
- (meteorology) A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, usually fainter than a daytime rainbow and with fewer distinguishable colours.
- 1896, James Wells, Travel-pictures from Palestine, page 94:
- Often rainbows by night or moonbows span the lake.
- 2010, Bernd Brunner, Moon: A Brief History, unnumbered page:
- Among the rarer optical effects associated with the moon are also moonbows or lunar rainbows.
- 2011, Colleen Ryckert Cook, Kentucky: Past and Present, page 9:
- When the sun shines over Kentucky's Cumberland Falls, the mist creates a rainbow on most days. If the moon shines brightly enough, it can create a moonbow, too!
Synonyms[edit]
- (rainbow formed by diffracted moonlight): lunar rainbow, white rainbow
Translations[edit]
Meteorological phenomenon
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