spray bow

English

Alternative forms

• spraybow

Etymology

From spray +‎ bow, by analogy with rainbow.

Noun

spray bow (plural spray bows)

1. (meteorology) A rainbow formed from water spray, especially that which emanates from a waterfall.
   • 1861 January, anonymous author, The Westminster Review, Canada, 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.