halo
UK[ˈheɪləʊ]US[ˈheɪloʊ]
n
a circle of light shown around or above the head of a holy person in a religious painting, etc.
n
a circle of light or brightness, especially around the sun or moon.
Etymology
the word 'halo' entered english in the mid-16th century, denoting a circle of light around the sun or moon. it was borrowed from medieval latin 'halos', which itself came from the greek 'halōs', meaning 'threshing floor' or 'disk of the sun or moon'. the semantic shift from a flat, circular threshing floor to a luminous ring is a classic example of metaphor, where the shape and form of the object lent its name to the visual phenomenon. this greek term is believed to have a possible proto-indo-european origin related to the concept of turning or rotating, which aligns with the circular shape of both a threshing floor and a halo.
Analysis
this word is a simplex loanword. it does not contain separable morphemes in its modern english form.
Examples
the saint in the painting is depicted with a golden halo.
a faint halo surrounded the moon during the lunar eclipse.
the streetlights created a soft halo in the foggy night air.