Alpenglow

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæl.pən.ɡloʊ/

Definitions

1. A natural optical phenomenon occurs at dawn or dusk, where high mountain ranges are bathed in a warm, rosy light due to atmospheric scattering
2. This effect highlights peaks in a gentle pink glow, usually visible just before sunrise or just after sunset
3. A scenic atmospheric effect takes place during twilight, casting a warm, pinkish hue upon mountain tops as the sun is positioned below the horizon

Etymology: The word is a hybrid built from two languages. German has "Alpenglühen," which combines "Alpen" (the Alps) with "glühen" (to glow), and describes the rosy light that settles on mountain peaks at dusk and dawn. English speakers borrowed the idea but swapped the German second element for their own word "glow," producing a partial calque: a translation of the German that keeps the first half in German-derived form and replaces the second with an English equivalent. The result is a compound that reads literally as "Alps-glow," a name for a phenomenon that is visible only in the brief twilight periods, when the sun has dropped below the horizon but its light still catches the high snow and rock. The pink tint comes from sunlight that has passed through a longer stretch of atmosphere, so only the upper surfaces of the peaks remain lit while the valleys below have already gone dark.

Synonyms: sunset glow, mountain glow