: a usually colored circle often seen around and close to a luminous body (such as the sun or moon) caused by diffraction produced by suspended droplets or occasionally particles of dust
(2)
: the tenuous outermost part of the atmosphere of a star (such as the sun)
(3)
: a circle of light made by the apparent convergence of the streamers of the aurora borealis
b
: the upper portion of a bodily part (such as a tooth or the skull)
c
: an appendage or series of united appendages on the inner side of the corolla in some flowers (such as the daffodil, jonquil, or milkweed)
d
: a faint glow adjacent to the surface of an electrical conductor at high voltage
In the fight against the consequences of the corona epidemic, the Italian government is resorting to radical measures.—Anne Kunz et al.
3
[from La Corona, a trademark]: a long cigar having the sides straight to the end to be lit and being roundly blunt at the other end
Illustration of corona
a corona 2c
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe solar flare was associated with a partial coronal mass ejection, which is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field lines from the Sun's corona — the outermost part of its atmosphere.—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 9 May 2023 However, both types of events create material that is hotter than the corona’s average temperature.—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 Feb. 2023 According to Kevin Strongman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson, the natural spectacle happened because of a geomagnetic storm, a disturbance on Earth's magnetic field caused by a chunk of plasma released from the sun's corona.—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2023 The sun’s corona is hot—millions of degrees on any temperature scale—but not hot enough to push the solar wind to those speeds.—Katrina Miller, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2023 Now a new analysis argues that the solar wind is powered by a collective set of intermittent, small-scale jetlike eruptions in the sun’s corona, or outer layer.—Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023 The view of the solar corona during a total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 from Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.—Christopher Brito, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2023 In fact, the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the sun's surface.—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2023 The corona is hot - close to 2 million degrees Kelvin.—Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corona.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin corōna "garland worn on the head as a mark of honor or emblem of majesty, halo around a celestial body, top part of an entablature" — more at crown entry 1
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