Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
St. Elmo's fires. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
St. Elmo's fires, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
St. Elmo's fires in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
St. Elmo's fires you have here. The definition of the word
St. Elmo's fires will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
St. Elmo's fires, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Noun
St. Elmo's fires
- plural of St. Elmo's fire
1881, J. Minshull, transl., Land, Sea and Sky, or, Wonders of Life and Nature, page 366:As to its appearance upon the masts of ships, Forbin relates that in the year 1696, during a terribly stormy night, near the Balearic Isles, he saw no less than thirty St. Elmo's fires in different parts of the ship, one of them being on one of the sails of the mainmast.
1907, Edwin J. Houston, The wonder book of the atmosphere, page 291:Referring to the superstition on the part of the sailors as regards the St. Elmo's fires, Lieutenant Bassett, in his book called "Legends and Superstitions of the Sea," says...
1936, Napier Shaw, Manual of Meteorology, page 32:St. Elmo's fires are extremely frequent at the Pic du Midi on lightning-conductors.