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Glite Dictionary
sundog

sundog

1 9.9
A bright spot that appears next to the sun when sunlight hits ice crystals in the sky
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌnˌdɔg/
translation icon : perro del sol
  • On a cold winter morning, we were mesmerized by the bright sundog appearing beside the sun.

Examples

  • By late March, we had an occasional almost clear day, but all that year the sky had an odd, opalescent cast, and there were always sundogs and halos.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I am a journalist at Sundog Times and will talk to mr. Ambers.

    Beauty and the Least (2012)

  • Or the oddity of sundogs and the fact that a significant percentage of the population does not believe we ever landed on the moon.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • As the sun set, a sundog formed in the sky, illuminating the clouds with vibrant colors.

  • During our hike, we noticed a sundog, a beautiful optical phenomenon created by ice crystals high in the atmosphere.

Synonyms

mock sun
vssundog
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright spot beside the sun when ice crystals bend sunlight

is the same phenomenon but often used as the alternative name
parhelion
vssundog
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright spot that appears in the sky beside the Sun when sunlight passes through ice crystals

is the technical or scientific term for the same optical effect

Surface Forms

sundog singular
sundogs plural

Morphology

sundog = sun + dog (semi-transparent) = sun + dog

The components 'sun' and 'dog' are individually clear, but the compound denotes a specialised atmospheric optical phenomenon and the role of 'dog' is metaphorical rather than literal, so the meaning is not directly inferable for all learners.

Etymology

Sundog is made from the parts sun and dog, because people long ago thought the bright spots looked like little 'dogs' running beside or following the sun. So a sundog is a bright spot that appears to the side of the sun, often in cold, icy weather.