Word of the Day for Wednesday August 25, 2004 nimbus \NIM-buhs\, noun: 1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc.; a halo. 2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing. 3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud.