Aurora borealis (&?;), i. e., northern daybreak; popularly called northern lights. A luminous meteoric phenomenon, visible only at night, and supposed to be of electrical origin. This species of light usually appears in streams, ascending toward the zenith from a dusky line or bank, a few degrees above the northern horizon; when reaching south beyond the zenith, it forms what is called the corona, about a spot in the heavens toward which the dipping needle points. Occasionally the aurora appears as an arch of light across the heavens from east to west. Sometimes it assumes a wavy appearance, and the streams of light are then called merry dancers. They assume a variety of colors, from a pale red or yellow to a deep red or blood color. The Aurora australis (&?;) is a corresponding phenomenon in the southern hemisphere, the streams of light ascending in the same manner from near the southern horizon.
Au*ro"ral (&?;), a. Belonging to, or resembling, the aurora (the dawn or the northern lights); rosy.
Her cheeks suffused with an auroral blush.
Longfellow.
Au"rous (&?;), a. 1. Containing gold.
2. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, gold; -- said of those compounds of gold in which this element has its lower valence; as, aurous oxide.
||Au"rum (&?;), n. [L.] Gold.
Aurum fulminans (&?;). See Fulminate. -- Aurum mosaicum (&?;). See Mosaic.
Aus*cult" (&?;), v. i. & t. To auscultate.
Aus"cul*tate (&?;), v. i. & t. To practice auscultation; to examine by auscultation.
Aus`cul*ta"tion (&?;), n. [L. ausculcatio, fr. auscultare to listen, fr. a dim. of auris, orig. ausis, ear. See Auricle, and cf. Scout, n.] 1. The act of listening or hearkening to. Hickes.
2. (Med.) An examination by listening either directly with the ear (immediate auscultation) applied to parts of the body, as the abdomen; or with the stethoscope (mediate auscultation), in order to distinguish sounds recognized as a sign of health or of disease.
Aus"cul*ta`tor (&?;), n. One who practices auscultation.
Aus*cul"ta*to*ry (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to auscultation. Dunglison.
Au*so"ni*an (&?;), a. [L. Ausonia, poetic name for Italy.] Italian. Milton.
Aus"pi*cate (&?;), a. [L. auspicatus, p. p. of auspicari to take auspices, fr. auspex a bird seer, an augur, a contr. of avispex; avis bird + specere, spicere, to view. See Aviary, Spy.] Auspicious. [Obs.] Holland.
Aus"pi*cate (&?;), v. t. 1. To foreshow; to foretoken. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
2. To give a favorable turn to in commencing; to inaugurate; -- a sense derived from the Roman practice of taking the auspicium, or inspection of birds, before undertaking any important business.
They auspicate all their proceedings.
Burke.
Aus"pice (&?;), n.; pl. Auspices (&?;). [L. auspicium, fr. auspex: cf. F. auspice. See Auspicate, a.] 1. A divining or taking of omens by observing birds; an omen as to an undertaking, drawn from birds; an augury; an omen or sign in general; an indication as to the future.