1610年代，“神聖人物周圍的明亮雲彩”，源自拉丁語 nimbus “雲彩”，可能與 nebula “雲、霧”有關（源自 PIE 詞根 *nebh- “雲”）。在藝術中，“神聖人物頭部周圍的光環”意義始於1727年。比較 aureole。
The nimbus of God the Father is represented as of triangular form, with rays diverging from it on all sides, or in the form of two superposed triangles, or in the same form (inscribed with the cross) as that of Christ. The nimbus of Christ contains a cross more or less enriched; that of the Virgin Mary is a plain circle, or occasionally a circlet of small stars, and that of angels and saints is often a circle of small rays. When the nimbus is depicted of a square form, it is supposed to indicate that the person was alive at the time of delineation. [Century Dictionary]
上帝之父的光環被描繪成三角形，其上發散着各種方向的光芒，或者是兩個重疊的三角形形狀，或者是與基督的形狀相同（內刻十字架）。基督的光環包含一個或多個十字架； 聖母瑪利亞的光環是一個簡單的圓圈，或者偶爾是一圈小星星，而天使和聖徒的光環通常是一圈小光芒。當光環被描繪成正方形時，它被認爲是表明這個人在描繪時還活着。[世紀詞典]
