To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Saint El·mo's fire | \ ˈsānt-ˈel-(ˌ)mōz- 
\
\variants:
or St. Elmo's fire or less commonly Saint Elmo's light or St. Elmo's light
Definition of Saint Elmo's fire
: a flaming phenomenon sometimes seen in stormy weather at prominent points on an airplane or ship and on land that is of the nature of a brush discharge of electricity
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on Saint Elmo's fire
What made you want to look up Saint Elmo's fire? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- Semantic Drift Quiz
A challenging quiz of changing words.
Take the quiz - A Thanksgiving Word Quiz
We are thankful for obscure words.
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share Saint Elmo's fire
Time Traveler for Saint Elmo's fire
The first known use of Saint Elmo's fire was in 1753
See more words from the same year