Meanings
- The aurora of the northern hemisphere.
A common and beautiful side-effect of high solar activity is the Aurora Borealis - the northern lights that dance across Arctic skies.
2023 November 15, Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 301 more example
Superintendent Chalmers: Yes, I should be— Good Lord what is happening in there!? Principal Skinner: Aurora borealis. Superintendent Chalmers: Uh— Aurora borealis, at this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within your kitchen? Principal Skinner: Yes. Superintendent Chalmers: May I see it? Principal Skinner: No.
1996 April 14, Bill Oakley, “22 Short Films About Springfield” (02:12 from the start), in The Simpsons, season 7, episode 21, spoken by Superintendent Chalmers and Principal Skinner (Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer), segment "Skinner & The Superintendent", production code 3F18Synonyms: northern dawn, northern lights, aurora septentrionalis
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe aurora of the northern hemisphere.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- ['la-new',
- New Latinaurōra boreālis
- Englishaurora borealis
Learned borrowing from New Latin aurōra boreālis (literally “northern dawn”).
More words from New Latin, ['la-new
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
aurora borealis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aurora%20borealis
“aurora borealis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aurora%20borealis. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aurora borealis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aurora%20borealis.
Source: aurora borealis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.