- aurora borealis (n.)
[aurora borealis 词源字典]
- 1620s, "Northern Lights," literally "northern dawn," said to have been coined by French philosopher Petrus Gassendus (1592-1655) after a spectacular display seen in France Sept. 2, 1621; see aurora + boreal. In northern Scotland and among sailors, sometimes called the dancers or the merry dancers.[aurora borealis etymology, aurora borealis origin, 英语词源]