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aura
aura From the Greek meaning ‘breath’, the word aura is mostly used in the metaphorical sense of someone having simply ‘an aura’ about him or, more vividly, one of ‘wisdom’, ‘saintliness’, or ‘evil’. However, for those suffering migraine or epilepsy, an aura is no longer simply a metaphor relating to their perception of a person in the external world but now a disagreeable perceptual experience heralding an impending attack of their sick headache or convulsion (grand mal). In the case of migraine the aura is most commonly visual. The images do not relate to previous visual experience but can take the form of scintillating, wavy patterns of bright, silvery light that superimpose on the current visual image — but in contrast to the latter they persist when the eyes are closed.
In epilepsy the simplest form of aura may be an ill-defined feeling of uncertainty or nausea preceding a convulsion. This may be an expression of changes in the cardiovascular and digestive systems induced by the autonomic nervous system as an early aspect of the epileptiform activity within the brain. Undoubtedly the most remarkable ‘aura’ occurs in the particular type known as ‘temporal lobe epilepsy’. At its simplest the aura may take the form of a familiar odour, or more commonly a disagreeable or even disgusting one. At its most complex the aura can be a perceptually complete image of a person with no counterpart in the external world. Such an image is to be distinguished from one summoned voluntarily in the mind's eye, or from an illusion due to the brain's interpretation of conflicting visual stimuli from the external world. Instead, that of the aura is a remarkable product of the uncontrollable discharge of neurones associated with an epileptiform focus in the temporal lobe(s) of the brain, demonstrable in the recording of the electrical activity of the brain, and, when the severity of the condition demands, abolished by surgical removal of the offending lobe. Tom Sears See also epilepsy; migraine. |
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COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "aura." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "aura." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-aura.html COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "aura." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-aura.html |
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aura
au·ra / ˈôrə/ • n. (pl. au·ras ) [usu. in sing.] the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place: the ceremony retains an aura of mystery. ∎ a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature, viewed by mystics, spiritualists, and some practitioners of complementary medicine as the essence of the individual. ∎ any invisible emanation, esp. a scent or odor: a faint aura of disinfectant. ∎ Med. (pl. also au·rae / ˈôrē/ ) a warning sensation experienced before an attack of epilepsy or migraine. ORIGIN: late Middle English (originally denoting a gentle breeze): via Latin from Greek, ‘breeze, breath.’ Current senses date from the 18th cent. |
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"aura." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aura." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aura.html "aura." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aura.html |
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aura
aura (or-ă) n. the forewarning of an attack, as occurs in epilepsy (e.g. as an odd smell or taste) and migraine (e.g. as flickering lights, blurring of vision, pins and needles).
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"aura." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aura." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-aura.html "aura." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-aura.html |
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aura
aura subtle emanation. XVIII. — L. — Gr. aúrā breath, breeze.
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T. F. HOAD. "aura." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "aura." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aura.html T. F. HOAD. "aura." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aura.html |
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AURA
AURA Abbr. for Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.
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"AURA." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "AURA." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-AURA.html "AURA." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-AURA.html |
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aura
aura see spiritism . |
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"aura." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aura." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-aura.html "aura." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-aura.html |
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aura
aura
•abhorrer, adorer, Andorra, angora, aura, aurora, bora, Bora-Bora, borer, Camorra, Cora, corer, Dora, Eleonora, Eudora, explorer, fedora, flora, fora, ignorer, Isadora, Kia-Ora, Laura, Leonora, Maura, menorah, Nora, pakora, Pandora, pourer, roarer, scorer, senhora, señora, signora, snorer, soarer, Sonora, sora, storer, Theodora, Torah, Tuscarora, Vlorë
•goalscorer • cobra • okra • Oprah
•Socotra • Moira • Sudra
•chaulmoogra • supra
•Brahmaputra, sutra
•Zarathustra • Louvre • fulcra
•Tripura
•borough, burgh, Burra, curragh, demurrer, thorough
•Rubbra
•penumbra, umbra
•tundra • chakra • ultra • kookaburra
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"aura." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aura." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-aura.html "aura." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-aura.html |
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