Affixes

An auriferous mineral is one containing gold, while something aureate is made of or has the colour of gold. In chemistry, auric refers to compounds in which gold has a valency of three and aurous in those which it has a valency of one. The aurora, the Northern or Southern Lights, derives from Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn. However, aura, a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature, is the Latin word for a breeze. A few words, such as auricle, the external part of the ear, derive instead from Latin auris, ear.