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aura

/ˈɔːɹə/ noun

Latin root: aura Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about aura at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A subtle emanation or exhalation of any substance, such as an aroma or odour. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
  2. A distinctive atmosphere or quality surrounding or associated with something or someone.
    This place has an aura of 19th century Paris.
  3. A supposed emanation from and surrounding a living person or thing, regarded by mystics as consisting of the essence of the individual.

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin aura (“a breeze, a breath of air, the air”), from Ancient Greek αὔρα (aúra, “breeze, soft wind”), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”). Doublet of east, auster, air, and aria. Sense 4 originated in the early 2020s and was popularized on TikTok around May 2024.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)