Corposants

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Sparks or flashes of light caused by electrical discharge or atmospheric electricity, often appearing as fleeting luminous phenomena near ship masts or tall structures
2. Brief, bright streaks of electricity visible in the sky or around objects during storms, typically caused by static or atmospheric electrical charges
3. Glowing electrical sparks observed in damp or stormy environments, produced by the sudden movement of electrical energy near conductive surfaces

Etymology: Corposants are a plural form: the plural of "corposant," the name sailors gave to the eerie blue-white glow that sometimes clung to ship masts, rigging and spars during storms. The singular is the form that carries the etymology, and it is a compound of two Latin words, "corpus" meaning "body" and "sanctum" meaning "holy." The body meant is the Christian idea of a holy body, a reference to the glow's supposed sacred character. The image of the glow as a holy body is the key to the name's sense. Sailors saw the discharge, now known as St Elmo's fire, as a sign of protection, and the Latin-derived name joined "body" with "holy" to describe a presence that seemed to hover over the ship. Because the phenomenon appears on the masts and rigging of the vessel itself, the name suited it well.