What does alpenglow mean?
Alpenglow is the rosy or reddish light seen on mountain peaks when the sun is just below the horizon, either shortly after sunset or shortly before sunrise. The effect is especially striking in high ranges, where sunlight reaches the peaks and upper clouds before the lower landscape receives direct light. The word combines the Alpine or mountain reference with the idea of a coloured glow, and it can also be used poetically for a pink or reddish light resembling that phenomenon. In writing, alpenglow conveys beauty, grandeur, and a sense of the brief interval between ordinary daylight and darkness. It is less common than descriptions such as sunrise or sunset but more precise and evocative when the illumination is specifically observed on mountains. Photographs and accounts of alpine landscapes frequently use the term to identify this distinctive, short-lived atmospheric effect.
nounThe rosy or reddish glow that appears on mountain peaks shortly after sunset or shortly before sunrise. It is also used poetically for a similarly coloured glow associated with high mountains.
- The rosy or reddish glow visible on mountain peaks shortly after sunset or shortly before sunrise.
"Alpenglow spread across the peaks as the last light faded from the valley below."
"A band of alpenglow illuminated the summits long after the valley had gone dark."
"The climber paused at dawn to watch alpenglow creep down the mountainside."
The word is normally used in the singular. The plural is uncommon but may distinguish separate or successive displays.
"The photographs captured alpenglows over several ridges as the clouds shifted."
When daylight slips below the horizon, the mountains can blush pink: alpenglow is the afterglow with altitude.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does alpenglow come from?
Alpenglow is an English compound formed from German Alpen, meaning “the Alps,” and the English word glow. German Alpen is the plural of Alp, while Alpine and the name Alps ultimately relate to Latin Alpes, “mountains.” The compound is attested in English from the 19th century and follows the development of English geographical and Alpine vocabulary.
How alpenglow is actually used
Alpenglow is chiefly a geographical and literary term. It is uncommon in everyday conversation but often appears in travel writing, mountaineering descriptions, and poetic language.
Easily confused with alpenglow
An afterglow is the lingering radiance of the sun after it has set, whereas alpenglow specifically refers to the reddish illumination seen on high mountains near sunrise or sunset.