spray bow
English
Alternative forms
- spraybow
Etymology
spray + bow, by analogy with rainbow.
Noun
spray bow (plural spray bows)
- (meteorology) A rainbow formed from water spray, especially that which emanates from a waterfall.
- 1861, anonymous, "Canada", published in The Westminster Review (January), page 34
- M. Kohl gives us some graphic descriptions, especially of the scene behind the Horse-shoe Fall, and of a lunar spray-bow on the American, for which we must refer to his book.
- 1896, William Morris, The Well at the World's End: A Tale, Volume 2, page 94
- Now that level place, or bench-table went up to the very gushing and green bow of the water, so Ralph took Ursula's hand and led her along, she going a little after him, till he was close to the Well, and stood amidst the spray-bow thereof, so that he looked verily like one of the painted angels on the choir wall of St. Laurence of Upmeads.
- 1935, Sir William Beach Thomas, Village England, page 95
- It would need a long essay in optics, I imagine, to explain why the spray-bow was very blue and the cloud-bow quite without this colour ; for rainbows differ more in their attributes than most observers recognise.
- 2002, John Naylor, Out of the Blue: A 24-Hour Skywatcher's Guide, page 106
- I sometimes amuse myself by making spray bows with a plant spray.
- 1861, anonymous, "Canada", published in The Westminster Review (January), page 34