Fogdog

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A bright spot or halo of light that appears in fog or mist, caused by the sun or moon shining through water droplets
2. A luminous phenomenon seen in foggy conditions where light concentrates into a visible glowing area or ring
3. A radiant patch of light visible within fog, created by sunlight or moonlight refracting through suspended moisture

Etymology: A "fogdog" is a sundog, the bright patch of light that sometimes appears beside the sun, but it gets its name from fog rather than from any animal. The surface reading of the two parts, "fog" and "dog", explains the word on its face: the sun is seen through fog, and the glowing spot beside it looks like a companion following it, much as a dog trots alongside its master. The "dog" half is the same one found in "sundog", which describes the same phenomenon in clear weather. Sundogs are formed when sunlight passes through ice crystals in the air, so the name "fogdog" points to the damp, misty conditions in which the effect is seen, while "sundog" points to the sun itself. Both names rest on the same image of a faint companion accompanying the sun.

Synonyms: sun dog, parhelion