Definition

Noun: * St. Elmo's fire: A visible electrical discharge, often appearing as a glowing, sometimes hissing, blue or violet light, that occurs around pointed objects (like ship masts, church steeples, or airplane wings) during thunderstorms or other intense electrical conditions in the atmosphere. It is a form of plasma caused by the ionization of the air surrounding a conductor in a strong electric field.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The sailors saw St. Elmo's fire dancing on the mast during the violent storm.
  • Pilots sometimes report seeing St. Elmo's fire flickering on the windshield and wingtips of the aircraft.
  • The phenomenon of St. Elmo's fire has been documented for centuries and was once considered a supernatural omen.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in historical or nautical contexts to describe a specific atmospheric electrical phenomenon.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe any eerie or mysterious glow.
  • The strange, phosphorescent algae gave the water a ghostly appearance, like a form of St. Elmo's fire on the sea.

Variants and Related Words

• Corposant (noun): An archaic or literary term for St. Elmo's fire.
• Castor and Pollux (noun, historical): In nautical tradition, a double glow of St. Elmo's fire was sometimes called by this name, after the twin brothers of Greek mythology, and was considered a sign of good luck.
• Plasma (noun): The state of matter of which St. Elmo's fire is an example.
• Corona discharge (noun): A broader scientific term for an electrical discharge from a conductor, which includes the phenomenon of St. Elmo's fire.

Synonyms

• Electrical glow discharge
• Corona discharge (in a specific atmospheric context)

Notes on Meaning

• St. Elmo's fire is a specific, named phenomenon. It is not a general term for lightning or any electrical spark. It specifically refers to the persistent, luminous plasma created by a corona discharge from a sharp object in a high-voltage atmospheric electric field.

Noun

1. an electrical discharge accompanied by ionization of surrounding atmosphere