nimbus

English

WOTD – 1 December 2006

Etymology

From Latin nimbus (“dark cloud”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪmbəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmbəs

Noun

nimbus (plural nimbi or nimbuses)

1. A circle of light; a halo.
2. A gray rain cloud.

Usage notes

• (circle of light): In heraldry and art, a nimbus may be considered distinct from a halo. The term halo can refer to an open ring of light or of gold behind the head of a saint, while nimbus refers to a solid disk of light or gold.

Synonyms

• (circle of light): halo

Translations

circle of light; halo

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暈 (zh), 晕 (zh) (yùn), 光環 (zh), 光环 (zh) (guānghuán), 光輪, 光轮 (zh) (guānglún), 圓光, 圆光 (zh) (yuánguāng)

• Dutch: nimbus, halo (nl) m
• French: nimbe (fr) m
• German: Nimbus (de) m
• Italian: nimbo (it) m
• Japanese: 後光 (ごこう, gokō), 暈 (ja) (かさ, kasa), 光環 (こうかん, kōkan)

• Latin: nimbus (la) m
• Russian: нимб (ru) m (nimb), ореол (ru) m (oreól)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: нимбус m, ореол m, светокруг m, ауреола f, хало n

  Roman: nimbus m, oreol m, svetokrug m, aureola f, halo n

• Turkish: ayla (tr), hale (tr)
• Welsh: lleugylch m

rain cloud

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雨雲 (zh), 雨云 (zh) (yǔyún)

• Dutch: nimbus m
• French: nimbus (fr) m
• German: Nimbus (de) m
• Japanese: 雨雲 (あまぐも, amagumo)

• Latin: nimbus (la) m
• Maori: okewa
• Russian: дождевое облако n (doždevóje óblako)
• Spanish: nimbo m
• Turkish: yağmur bulutu (tr)
• Welsh: nimbws m

Related terms

• nimbed

See also

• halo

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Latin

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪm.bʊs/

Noun

nimbus m (genitive nimbī); second declension

1. rainstorm, rain shower
2. rain cloud, thunder cloud
3. cloud
4. halo (visible aura of divine power)
5. throng
6. (figuratively) calamity, tempest

Inflection

Second declension.

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	nimbus	nimbī
genitive	nimbī	nimbōrum
dative	nimbō	nimbīs
accusative	nimbum	nimbōs
ablative	nimbō	nimbīs
vocative	nimbe	nimbī

See also

• nebula
• nūbēs
• nūbifer
• nūbigena
• nūbilum
• nūbilus

Descendants

• Russian: нимб (nimb)

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Serbo-Croatian

Noun

nimbus m (Cyrillic spelling нимбус)

1. (religion) halo
2. nimbus

Synonyms

• oreol