Home › Glossary › Letter A

Aureolic imagery

Imagery
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Figurative language creating a halo or glow effect around the subject

Detailed Definition
Aureolic imagery evokes halos, radiance, or divine light surrounding sacred figures or moments, drawing on Christian iconography of saints’ aureoles; in poetry, it signifies epiphany, sanctity, or transcendent beauty through luminous metaphors that frame subjects in ethereal, otherworldly glow.
Example
Example in poetry:
Aureolic imagery: In Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Archaic Torso of Apollo,” the statue’s gaze “gleams like a star” and “burns” the viewer—aureolic imagery suggesting a halo of transformative power.
Additional Notes
Aureolic imagery: Radiant, halo-like descriptions suggesting sanctity or transcendence; often uses gold, light, or circular motifs; common in devotional and visionary poetry.
Also Known As
Golden imagery radiant description aureate vision gilded imagery
Skip to main content