Saint Elmo's fire

Saint El·mo's fire

 (ĕl′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.

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[After Saint Elmo, fourth-century ad patron saint of sailors.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Saint Elmo's fire

(ˈɛlməʊz)

n

(General Physics) (not in technical usage) a luminous region that sometimes appears around church spires, the masts of ships, etc. It is a corona discharge in the air caused by atmospheric electricity. Also called: corposant

[C16: so called because it was associated with Saint Elmo (a corruption, via Sant'Ermo, of Saint Erasmus, died 303) the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Saint Elmo's fire - an electrical discharge accompanied by ionization of surrounding atmosphere corona discharge, corposant, electric glow, Saint Elmo's light, Saint Ulmo's fire, Saint Ulmo's light, St. Elmo's fire, corona arc, electric arc, electric discharge, spark, discharge - electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Translations

Saint Elmo’s fire

n (Met) → Elmsfeuer nt

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