sun dog
/ˈsʌn ˌdɔɡ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.73 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A bright spot in the sky, usually one of two on a parhelic circle on both sides of the sun (or occasionally above and below it), caused by the refraction of the sun's image through ice crystals.
Example Sentences
- "December […] the 28th [1714], the Sun being an Hour high, appeared a Sun-Dog or Parhelion, the Sky full of flying Clouds."
- "Sun-dogs, called Mock Suns, becauſe they reſemble the ſun, are tvvo ſpots that frequently appear in a cloud vvhen the ſun ſhines through it, and vvhen he is about 15 to 20 degrees above the horizon. […] One is ſituated on the north, and the other on the ſouth ſide of the ſun. The refraction and reflection of the rays of light are the cauſe of theſe phænomena."
- "Two sundogs dread famine bring / A bloody war, and new-crown'd king."
- "The good fog heard—like a splitten sail, to the left and right she tore, / And they saw the sun-dogs in the haze and the seal upon the shore."
- "Sometimes it is clear, and at midday the sun looks at us for a moment over the hills to the south. The northern lights flame in the sky, and the sun-dogs dance, and the air is filled with frost-dust."
- "A sun dog on each side of the sun foretell a bad storm in the night."
Etymology
PIE word *sóh₂wl̥ From sun + dog (“(figurative) a visible atmospheric or meteorological phenomenon”) ; metaphorically refers to the bright spots of light that appear to "dog" or follow the real sun, much like a dog follows its owner.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsʌn ˌdɔɡ/
- British English: /ˈsʌn dɒɡ/