Saint Elmo's fires

A form of Saint Elmo's fire

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of Saint Elmo's fire

    The Saint Elmo's fires are put out and the storm dies.

    1992, Ray Bradbury, Green Shadows, White Whale
    2 more examples

    First spotted at the top of ships' masts (where they were considered a good omen), Saint Elmo's fires are typically seen around tall metal grounded objects, such as lightning rods, aircraft wings, and chimney tops.

    1999, Patricia Barnes-Svarney, Thomas E. Svarney, Skies of Fury, page 97

    Who knows what dangers await them, what Adamastor they will encounter, what Saint Elmo's fires they will see rise from the sea, what columns of water will such in the air only to expel it once it has been settled?

    2005, Harold Bloom, Novelists and Novels, page 457
Cite this entry
APA

Saint Elmo's fires. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saint%20Elmo's%20fires

MLA

“Saint Elmo's fires.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saint%20Elmo's%20fires. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Saint Elmo's fires,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saint%20Elmo's%20fires.

Source: Saint Elmo's fires on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.