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Glite Dictionary
Dobereiner's lamp

Dobereiner's lamp

9.9
A small metal lighter that makes a flame using hydrogen
  • noun
  • /ˈdoʊbərˌaɪnərz læmp/
  • Archaic
translation icon : lámpara de Dobereiner
  • The Dobereiner's lamp, invented in the 19th century, demonstrated an innovative use of hydrogen to ignite a flame.

Examples

  • Before matches became common, the Dobereiner's lamp provided a reliable method for producing fire.

  • Collectors of antique scientific instruments often seek out the Dobereiner's lamp for their rarity.

  • The Dobereiner's lamp played an important role in the history of chemical appliances.

  • The Dobereiner's lamp was a revolutionary invention in the 19th century.

  • Have you ever seen a Dobereiner's lamp in action?

  • Before matches became common, the Dobereiner's lamp provided a reliable method for producing fire.

  • Collectors of antique scientific instruments often seek out the Dobereiner's lamp for its historical significance.

Synonyms

lighter
vsDobereiner's lamp
15 1.3

A small thing that makes a flame to light cigarettes or candles

is a specific early hydrogen based model rather than the general portable flame tool

Surface Forms

Dobereiner's lamp singular
Dobereiner's lamps plural

Morphology

Dobereiner's + lamp

The phrase is a possessive proper-name + noun construction: a B1 learner who knows 'lamp' and that Dobereiner is a name will infer it refers to a kind or model of lamp associated with Dobereiner. They will not, however, be able to derive the specific historical/technical meaning (an early hydrogen-based lighter invented in 1823), so the full sense is not predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Dobereiner's lamp is named after Johann Döbereiner, who in 1823 made a small lamp that used a flammable gas and a tiny piece of metal to make a quick flame, so it worked like an early lighter. That's why the name means 'an early lighter'.