aurore

dawn, aurora

noun oh-ROR Rare

Usage Note

Aurore refers to the early light of dawn (aux aurores = at the crack of dawn) and also to the aurora borealis (aurore boréale). It is more poetic than aube (dawn) and frequently appears in literature. As a given name, Aurore is associated with the sleeping beauty fairy tale heroine and the writer George Sand, born Aurore Dupin.

Examples

"Ils sont partis aux aurores pour éviter la circulation."

Natural Translation

They left at dawn to avoid the traffic.

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