electric light
9
2.0
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk laɪt/
:
bombilla eléctrica
- With the flick of a switch, the room filled with electric light, illuminating every corner.
And then he said, within five years I am going to light the entire city of New York with electric light.
- And then he said, within five years I am going to light the entire city of New York with electric light.
- So Edison, Swann, all these other inventors that were working on electric lights, they had a pure intention, which was the push back the darkness and lengthen our day.
Examples
-
A lamp was on the table, its powerful electric light illuminating his whole face.
Fiction book (2001) -
Indirect light from electric light and daylight sources can render high light levels without creating glare.
Academic text (1995) -
Soon all these people will have electric light, and no one will even remember it ever happened.
-
We even have electric lights now, and with a radio, everything seems quite nice.
Fiction book (1990) -
A switch, a movement of the arm, and sunlight gives way to electric light.
Academic text (1994) -
Ever since we invented the electric light, it has been constantly spreading and increasing.
-
Uncle Lofton got out of bed and switched on the electric light.
Fiction book (1993) -
The sudden flood of electric light revealed Amanda sitting upright.
Fiction book (1997) -
1887: The building was remodeled and included electric lights and central steam heat.
Blog text (32) -
I kept my eyelids firmly clamped down and reached for the switch controlling the electric light on my bedside table.
Academic text (2007)
Synonyms
274
1.0
Something that gives light for a room or table
166
1.3
A glass part of a lamp that makes light when electricity flows through it
62
1.8
A glass object that makes light when electricity passes through it
31
1.1
A small glass lamp with a wire inside that makes light when electricity flows
12
4.4
A light bulb that makes light by a hot wire
1
4.1
A light bulb that makes light by heating a thin wire inside glass
1
2.1
A glass bulb with a thin wire that makes light when electricity passes through it
1
1.7
A light that uses electricity to shine
How Bright
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a light that uses electricity' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'electric' (relating to electrical power) with 'light' (illumination). This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition following common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Electric light comes from the simple picture of a light that works by electric power: early bulbs used electricity to make a thin wire glow inside a glass bulb. Seeing a dark room suddenly lit by this glowing bulb made people call the device an 'electric light', so today the phrase means 'a lamp that produces light using electricity'.