halo

From Latin halōs, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “threshing floor; disk; disk of the sun or moon; ring of light around the sun or moon”), of unknown origin. The threshing floor's circular threshold or oxen walking on it in a circle gave rise to the other meanings. Used in English since 1563; the sense of light around someone’s head since 1646.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈheɪləʊ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: hāʹlō, IPA^(key): /ˈheɪloʊ/
• Rhymes: -eɪləʊ
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halo (plural halos or haloes)

1. A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
2. (astronomy) A cloud of gas and other matter surrounding and captured by the gravitational field of a large diffuse astronomical object, such as a galaxy or cluster of galaxies.
3. Anything resembling this band, such as an effect caused by imperfect developing of photographs.
4. (religion) nimbus, a luminous disc, often of gold, around or over the heads of saints, etc., in religious paintings.
5. The metaphorical aura of glory, veneration or sentiment which surrounds an idealized entity.

   her halo slipped

   • 1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:

     O! yearning heart! I did inherit
     Thy withering portion with the fame,
     The searing glory which hath shone
     Amid the jewels of my throne,
     Halo of Hell!

6. (advertising) The bias caused by the halo effect.
   • 2016, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Food and Nutrition Board, Food Literacy: How Do Communications and Marketing Impact Consumer Knowledge, Skills, and Behavior?, page 51:

     In both cases, they found that […] there was a halo effect (e.g., when a "low cholesterol" claim was made, consumers perceived other nutrients, such as fat, also to be at low levels when they were actually high). Andrews reported that these misleading halos were reduced only when the claims were accompanied by an evaluative disclosure […]

7. (art, religion, iconography) a circular annulus ring, frequently luminous, often golden, floating above the head
8. (medicine) A circular brace used to keep the head and neck in position.
9. (motor racing) A roll bar placed in front of the driver, used to protect the cockpit of an open cockpit racecar.
10. (automotive) Ellipsis of halo headlight.

• (luminous disc around head of saints in paintings): aureole, nimbus

halo (third-person singular simple present haloes, present participle haloing, simple past and past participle haloed)

1. (transitive) To encircle with a halo.

   Synonym: inaureole

• “halo” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “halo”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• hola

• alo

• IPA^(key): /ˈhalo/ [ˈha.l̪o]
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

hálo

1. Quiet!; Be quiet!

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qahəlu, from Proto-Austronesian *qaSəlu.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaʔlo/ [ˈhaʔ.l̪o]
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

hâlo (Basahan spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. a pestle

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaloʔ/ [ˈha.l̪oʔ], /haˈloʔ/ [haˈl̪oʔ]
• IPA^(key): /ˈʔaloʔ/ [ˈʔa.l̪oʔ], /ʔaˈloʔ/ [ʔaˈl̪oʔ] (dropping)
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halò or halô (Basahan spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. mixture

   Synonyms: salak, ramas

From Proto-Celtic *salā (“filth, dirt”).

halo m

1. saliva

• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 319
• Revue celtique. (1888). France: F. Vieweg., p 374

halo

1. first-person singular present indicative of halar

• hawo

For the second noun sense, the monitor lizard's timidity likened to cowardice.

• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halo

1. a monitor lizard
2. (historical) a cowardly tattooed man

halo

1. to mingle

• alho

halo

1. nothing

halo

1. without

• hilu

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦalo]
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

Borrowed from Latin halos.

halo n

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

halo

1. vocative singular of hala

• “halo”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “halo”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Medieval Latin, from Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon”).

halo c (definite singular haloen, indefinite plural haloer, definite plural haloerne)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

From Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon, ring of light around the sun or moon; threshing floor; disk of a shield”), itself of unknown origin.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦaː.loː/

• Audio:

  (file)

halo m (plural halo's, diminutive halootje n)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)
2. similar visual effect resulting from undesirable, roughly circular spots on an imperfectly developed photograph

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

• hola

• IPA^(key): /ˈhalo/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alo
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

Of Germanic origin; related to German Halle, Dutch hal, also to Norwegian hall and Swedish hall.

halo (accusative singular halon, plural haloj, accusative plural halojn)

1. (architecture) hall

halo

1. alternative form of hola

To avoid confusion with the above halo, the authors of the Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto recommend including the particle lo or adding a space ("ha lo").

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑlo/, [ˈhɑ̝lo̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑlo
• Syllabification^(key): ha‧lo
• Hyphenation^(key): ha‧lo

halo

1. inflection of halkoa:
   1. present active indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular present imperative
   3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative

From English halo, from Latin halōs, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs).

halo

1. halo

• haloilmiö

• “halo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

• Alho, alho, laho

From Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon, ring of light around the sun or moon; threshing floor; disk of a shield”), itself of unknown origin.

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /a.lo/

• Audio:

  (file)

halo m (plural halos)

1. Halo (atmospheric phenomenon)
2. Similar visual effect resulting from undesirable, roughly circular spots on an imperfectly developed photograph

• Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

• “halo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• hola, holà

halo

1. first-person singular present indicative of halar

halo (plural hali)

1. hall, very large room

Borrowed from Dutch hallo. Compare Malay helo.

halo

1. hello

Possibly a denominal of Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-slo- (“a breathing”, whence Latin anhēlus), from the root *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe”). The syncope of the second syllable is expected, while the /h-/ is unetymological and likely onomatopoeic.^[1][2] Ultimately akin to animus (“spirit”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈhaː.ɫoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.lo]

hālō (present infinitive hālāre, perfect active hālāvī, supine hālātum); first conjugation

1. to breathe
2. to emit, exhale, release (gas or fragrance)
3. to be fragrant
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.416–418:

     Ipsa Paphum sublimis abit sedesque revisit
     Laeta suas ubi templum illi centumque Sabaeo⁠⁠⁠
     Ture calent arae sertisque recentibus halant.

     [Venus] goes flying back to Paphos and sees happily again her seat
     Where there is a temple to her and a hundred altars
     That warmly glow with Sheban incense and are perfumed by fresh wreaths.

• spīrō

• adhālō
• anhēlo
• exhālō
• inhālō
• redhālō

• >? Old French: haler
  • ⇒ French: haleter

• “halo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “halo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• halo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Borrowed from Dutch hallo, possibly through Indonesian halo.

• IPA^(key): [ha.lo]
• Rhymes: -lo, -o
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halo (Jawi spelling هلو)

1. (uncommon, informal) Used to greet people; hello.

   Synonyms: helo, hai, assalamualaikum

   Halo, nak tanya pasal kerja rumah tadi sekejap, boleh?

   Hello, can I ask about the homework earlier?

From English halo, from Latin halōs, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “threshing floor; disk; disk of the sun or moon; ring of light around the sun or moon”), of unknown origin.

• IPA^(key): [he.lo]
• Rhymes: -lo, -o
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halo (Jawi spelling هلو, plural halo-halo)

1. A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.

• “halo” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

halo m (definite singular haloen, indefinite plural haloer, definite plural haloene)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

halo m (definite singular haloen, indefinite plural haloar, definite plural haloane)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

• IPA^(key): /ˈxa.lɔ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alɔ
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

Internationalism; compare English halo, French halo, German Halo, ultimately from Latin halōs, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs).

halo n (indeclinable)

1. halo (circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon, etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere)
2. (astronomy) halo (cloud of gas and other matter surrounding and captured by the gravitational field of a large diffuse astronomical object, such as a galaxy or cluster of galaxies)
3. (photography) halo (luminous border in a photograph around shiny or reflective objects)
4. (literary) halo (metaphorical aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment which surrounds an idealized entity)

   Synonyms: aureola, gloria, nimb

Borrowed from American English hallo.

• hallo

halo

1. hello? (greeting used when answering the telephone)

   Synonyms: proszę, słucham

2. hello? (call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected)

halo n (indeclinable)

1. publicity given to matters of little importance

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

halo f

1. vocative singular of hala

• halo I in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• halo II in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• halo in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• halo in PWN's encyclopedia

Learned borrowing from Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon”).^[1][2]

• Rhymes: -alu
• Homophone: alo
• Hyphenation: ha‧lo

halo m (plural halos)

1. (astronomy) halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

   Synonym: auréola

2. (religion, iconography) halo (luminous disc around the heads of saints)

   Synonyms: auréola, nimbo

Borrowed from French halo.

halo n (plural halouri)

1. halo

Borrowed from Latin halos.

hàlo or halȏ m inan (Cyrillic spelling ха̀ло or хало̑)

1. (astronomy) halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

Borrowed from English hallo.

halo (Cyrillic spelling хало)

1. (when answering the telephone) hello

   Synonyms: zdravo, ćao

• IPA^(key): /ˈalo/ [ˈa.lo]
• Rhymes: -alo
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

Borrowed from Medieval Latin, from Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon”).

halo m (plural halos)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)
2. halo (nimbus around the head of a holy figure)

halo

1. first-person singular present indicative of halar

• “halo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

• hola

From Old Sundanese halo. Perhaps related with Malay halau (“to drive away”). False cognate of English hello (or rather, holler).

halo (Sundanese script ᮠᮜᮧ)

1. holler (a shout to get somebody's attention)

• "HALO", in Coolsma, S (1913) Soendaneesch-Hollandsch Woordenboek (in Dutch), Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff's Uitgeversmaatschappij

Medieval Latin, from Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon”). Related to English and Danish halo.

halo c (definite singular halon, indefinite plural halor / haloer, definite plural halorna / haloerna)

1. halo (atmospheric phenomenon)

Compare Bikol Central halo (“mixture”), Cebuano halo (“mingle”), Malay haru (“stir; chaos”), and Malay arau (“stirring”).

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈhaloʔ/ [ˈhaː.loʔ] (noun)
    • Rhymes: -aloʔ
  • IPA^(key): /haˈloʔ/ [hɐˈloʔ] (adjective)
    • Rhymes: -oʔ
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

halò (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. blend; mixture (things mixed together)

   Synonym: timplada

2. mix (substance added to a mixture)

   Synonyms: lahok, banto, sahog

3. mixing; act of mixing

   Synonyms: paghalo, paghahalo

halô (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. mixed together (by stirring)

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qahəlu, from Proto-Austronesian *qaSəlu.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈhalo/ [ˈhaː.lo]
• Rhymes: -alo
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

halo (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. pestle (for a mortar)

   Synonyms: pambayo, pandikdik, panligis

• mortero
• pambayo

Borrowed from Spanish halo but with the silent ⟨h⟩ pronounced, from Medieval Latin, from Latin halos, from Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, “disk of the sun or moon”).

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈhalo/ [ˈhaː.lo]
• Rhymes: -alo
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

halo (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. halo (circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon, etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere)

Borrowed from English hello.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /haˈlo/ [hɐˈlo]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: ha‧lo

haló (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎᜓ)

1. hello!

• helo

• kumusta
• uy

• “halo”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

• laho

halo

1. to do, to make
2. to build