corposant
/ˈkɔrpəzænt/
noun
- A luminous electrical discharge that appears on a ship's mast or other pointed object during a storm, also called St. Elmo's fire.
- The corposant flickered with a blue light as the ship sailed through the rough sea.
- Ancient mariners considered a corposant a good omen, believing it showed protection from the storm.
- The sailors saw a corposant glowing at the tip of the mast during the thunderstorm.