a sudden bright appearance of sunlight breaking through clouds, or a design that looks like rays radiating from a circle.
From sun (Old English sunne) and burst (from Middle English bersten, to break or explode). The compound creates a vivid image of the sun suddenly breaking through clouds.
Sunburst became a popular design motif in Art Deco, and you'll see it everywhere from 1920s buildings to 1950s kitchen tiles to modern logos—it's visually exciting because it combines that surprising moment when clouds break with infinite rays of energy radiating outward.
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