aura
/ˈoːɹə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.52 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A subtle emanation or exhalation of any substance, such as an aroma or odour.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A distinctive atmosphere or quality surrounding or associated with something or someone.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A supposed emanation from and surrounding a living person or thing, regarded by mystics as consisting of the essence of the individual.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The charisma or suave excellence of a person, especially implying their vibe or energy.
Uncountable
noun
A subjective sensation experienced at the onset of a neurological condition, especially a migraine headache or epileptic seizure.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Clare had studied the curves of those lips so many times that he could reproduce them mentally with ease: and now, as they again confronted him, clothed with colour and life, they sent an aura over his flesh, a breeze through his nerves, which well nigh produced a qualm; and actually produced, by some mysterious physiological process, a prosaic sneeze."
- "This place has an aura of 19th century Paris."
- "His latest successes have endued him with an aura of invincibility."
- "One might subsume the eliminated element in the term “aura” and go on to say: that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art."
- "Darwinism and related theories in anthropology and sociology helped to give an aura of respectability to racism in both Europe and America."
- "Enough then, that I not only recognised my natural body from the mere aura and effulgence of certain of the powers that made up my spirit, […]."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *-r Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsr̥h₂ Proto-Hellenic *auhrā Ancient Greek αὔρα (aúra)bor. Latin auralbor. English aura Learned borrowing from Latin aura (“a breeze, a breath of air, the air”), from Ancient Greek αὔρα (aúra, “breeze, soft wind”), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”). Doublet of east, auster, air, and aria. Sense 4 originated in the early 2020s and was popularized on TikTok around May 2024.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: αὔρα
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoːɹə/
- British English: /ˈɔːɹə/