Aura
lit. “breeze”
The invisible energy or vibe a person is said to give off — and, casually, the impression they make in a room.
Origin
The Greek word for a breath of air. Theosophists in the late 19th century borrowed it for the alleged luminous field surrounding a person, supposedly photographable, color-coded, and diagnosable. New Age culture absorbed it; so did Walter Benjamin, who used 'aura' in a completely different, more interesting way (1936) to describe the irreplaceable presence of an original work of art. In the 2020s 'aura' returned via TikTok with an internet-native twist: 'aura points,' gained for doing something cool and lost for doing something cringe.
Modern usage
Three live meanings at once. The wellness sense ('her aura is off') is half-serious. Benjamin's art-critical sense survives in essays about AI-generated images and reproduction. The Gen Z 'aura points' meme is the most-used form in actual conversation among under-25s.
In the wild
He tripped on stage — that's a thousand aura points lost.— Gen Z slang
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