A Glory Is Also a Ring of Light Around a Shadow
Glory is high renown or magnificence. In meteorology it names a coloured halo seen around the shadow of an observer.
Glory is high renown, magnificence, or radiant beauty. Meteorology gives it a precise second meaning: a *glory* is a set of coloured rings seen around the shadow of your own head, cast on cloud or mist below. Airline passengers see it around the aircraft's shadow, and mountaineers call the same effect a Brocken spectre. In art, a *glory* is the halo of light around a sacred figure.
- High renown. *Covered in glory.*
- Magnificence. *The glory of the cathedral.*
- A halo of rings. *A glory around the shadow.*
- Glorious — splendid. *A glorious day.*
- Brocken spectre — the mountain version. *A Brocken spectre.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | glory | Great glory. |
| Plural | glories | Past glories. |
| Adjective | glorious | A glorious win. |
| Verb | glorify | Glorify it. |
| Latin | gloria | Glory. |
- The team returned in glory.Renown.
- A glory ringed the aircraft's shadow.Optics.
- The garden was a glory in June.Beauty.
Optical effects in the sky
- Glory — coloured rings around the observer's shadow on cloud
- Brocken spectre — the enlarged shadow itself, named after a German peak
- Rainbow — refraction and reflection in raindrops
- Halo — a ring around the sun or moon, from ice crystals
- Sun dog — bright spots either side of the sun
Old French *glorie*, from Latin *gloria*, fame or renown, of uncertain earlier origin.
What is a glory in meteorology?
A set of coloured rings around the shadow of the observer, cast on cloud or fog and caused by light scattering in water droplets.
What is a Brocken spectre?
A greatly enlarged shadow of an observer cast on cloud, often ringed by a glory. It is named after the Brocken mountain in Germany.