- heat lightning
- noun Date: 1810 vivid and extensive flashes of electric light without thunder seen near the horizon especially at the close of a hot day and ascribed to far-off lightning reflected by high clouds
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
heat lightning
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Heat lightning — is a misnomer for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or other clouds from distant thunderstorms that do not have accompanying sounds of thunder. Heat lightning was named because it often occurs on hot summer nights, and to distinguish… … Wikipedia
Heat lightning — Lightning Light ning (l[imac]t n[i^]ng), n. [For lightening, fr. lighten to flash.] 1. A discharge of atmospheric electricity, accompanied by a vivid flash of light, commonly from one cloud to another, sometimes from a cloud to the earth. The… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
heat lightning — ☆ heat lightning n. lightning seen near the horizon, esp. on hot evenings, and thought to be reflections of lightning on clouds below the horizon: its thunder is too distant to hear … English World dictionary
heat lightning — heat′ light ning n. mer lightning too distant for thunder to be heard, observed as diffuse flashes near the horizon on summer evenings … From formal English to slang
heat lightning — lightning too distant for thunder to be heard, observed as diffuse flashes near the horizon on summer evenings. [1825 35, Amer.] * * * … Universalium
heat lightning — noun bright flashes of light near the horizon without thunder (especially on hot evenings); usually attributed to distant lightning that is reflected by clouds • Hypernyms: ↑lightning * * * noun [noncount] chiefly US : flashes of light in the sky … Useful english dictionary
heat lightning — noun (U) especially AmE lightning 1 (1) without thunder or rain … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
heat lightning — /hit ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/ (say heet luytning) noun sheet lightning without thunder near the horizon on summer evenings, coming from a distant storm …
Lightning — Light ning (l[imac]t n[i^]ng), n. [For lightening, fr. lighten to flash.] 1. A discharge of atmospheric electricity, accompanied by a vivid flash of light, commonly from one cloud to another, sometimes from a cloud to the earth. The sound… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Lightning arrester — Lightning Light ning (l[imac]t n[i^]ng), n. [For lightening, fr. lighten to flash.] 1. A discharge of atmospheric electricity, accompanied by a vivid flash of light, commonly from one cloud to another, sometimes from a cloud to the earth. The… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
