noun
nimbus
NIHM-buhs
noun
1
A glowing ring or halo of light around a head, especially in religious art.
"The painting showed the saint with a golden nimbus around her head."
2
A large grey cloud that brings rain.
"Dark nimbus clouds rolled in just before the downpour."
How to Use Nimbus
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a halo of light, or a heavy rain cloud.
Common pairings
nimbus clouds
golden nimbus
Word Forms
nimbi plural, nimbuses plural
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The painting showed the saint with a golden _____ around her head.
Etymology
From Latin nimbus, meaning "dark cloud." The rain-cloud sense was formalized in 1803 by the British meteorologist Luke Howard when he devised the modern system of cloud names.