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corposant (KOR-poh-zant) - n., a luminous, and often audible, electric discharge from a pointed object in a strong electric field.
Such as during thunderstorms or near a volcano. Until planes started flying, it was most commonly seen on the yards and masts of ships, thus it also being called St. Elmo's fire, after the patron saint (d.303 CE) of sailors. Adopted around 1595 from Portuguese or possibly Spanish corpo-santo, from Latin corpus sanctum, holy body.
---L.
Such as during thunderstorms or near a volcano. Until planes started flying, it was most commonly seen on the yards and masts of ships, thus it also being called St. Elmo's fire, after the patron saint (d.303 CE) of sailors. Adopted around 1595 from Portuguese or possibly Spanish corpo-santo, from Latin corpus sanctum, holy body.
---L.
