Question: what is the meaning of the root word nimbus?
Answer: 1610s, "bright cloud surrounding a divine or sacred personage," from Latin nimbus "cloud," which is perhaps related to nebula "cloud, mist" (from PIE root *nebh- "cloud"). In art, the meaning "halo around the head of a representation of a divine or sacred person" is by 1727. Figurative use is by 1860. Compare aureole.