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firelight

firelight

14 2.6
Soft light from a fire in a room or fireplace
  • noun
  • /ˈfaɪərˌlaɪt/
translation icon : luz del fuego
  • The family gathered in the living room, enjoying each other's company by the warm firelight.

But they also, they, they simulate the natural red spectrum of sunlight and the same as our ancestors might have experienced during torchlight or firelight at night.

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Examples

  • In the shifting firelight, their tattooed faces swirled and reformed, as if made of smoke themselves.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • They're eating by firelight.

  • You look especially good by firelight.

  • And twice as lovely in the firelight.

  • Wish I could take pictures by firelight.

  • My message widened his eyes so that even by firelight, I could tell they were green.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The professor's face was glum in the firelight as he reflected on this.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Around them, the snow walls of the ice cave gleamed orange in the firelight.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The chiseled lines of his weathered face, reflected in the flickers of firelight, showed his unease.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Alfred stared into the cavern, his face a pale glimmer in the reflected firelight, his eyes sad and troubled.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

glow
vsfirelight
119 1.0

A steady soft light coming from an object or surface

is produced by active burning with visible flames rather than without
candlelight
vsfirelight
61 2.0

Soft light from a burning candle that makes a room feel warm

is broader coming from larger hearth fires rather than tiny wicks
lowe
vsfirelight
  • Archaic
27 9.9

A flame or bright glow from a fire

is the modern common term for light made by a burning hearth
lamplight
vsfirelight
8 2.8

Light that comes from a lamp

is from open hearth fires rather than from a manufactured indoor device
torchlight
vsfirelight
3 3.3

Light from fire that people carry to see in the dark

is fixed hearth brightness rather than portable outdoor burning illumination
gaslight
vsfirelight
  • Archaic
3 9.9

Light produced by burning gas for street or home use

is light from open hearth fires rather than piped fuel burning
candle flame
vsfirelight
1 1.0

A small bright light on top of a burning candle

is light from larger hearth fires rather than tiny wick burning

How Bright

daylight
294 1.0
torchlight
3 3.3
firelight
14 2.6
lamplight
8 2.8
candlelight
61 2.0

Surface Forms

firelight singular
firelights plural

Morphology

firelight = fire + light (transparent) = fire + light

A straightforward compound where 'fire' + 'light' literally denotes the illumination produced by a fire, so the meaning is directly inferable.

Etymology

Firelight is easy to remember because it combines fire and light, so it simply means 'light from a fire'. That's why firelight describes the soft, warm glow you see from a fireplace or a campfire.