Nim’bus, n.

n. [Lat., a rain-storm, a rain-cloud, the bright cloud or cloud-shaped splendor which enveloped the gods, when they appeared on earth.] 1. (Fine Arts.) A circle, or disk, of rays of light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, and the like; a halo. When limited to the head only, it is termed nimbus; when it envelops the whole body, it is the “aureola.” Fairholt. 2. (Meteor.) The rain-cloud; one of the four principal varieties of clouds. See CLOUD.