aurora borealis

noun aurora bo·re·al·is \-ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs\

Definition of AURORA BOREALIS

: an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere —called also northern lights

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New Latin, literally, northern dawn

First Known Use: 1717

AURORA BOREALIS Defined for Kids

noun au·ro·ra bo·re·al·is \ə-ˌrȯr-ə-ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs\

: broad bands of light that have a magnetic and electrical source and that appear in the sky at night especially in the arctic regions

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