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Glite Dictionary
marsh light

marsh light

9.9
A faint mysterious light that appears over wet ground at night
  • noun
  • /mɑrʃ laɪt/
  • Literature
translation icon : luz de los pantanos
  • As we crossed the bog, a pale marsh light hovered near the reeds.

Examples

  • Local legends claim that a marsh light lured travelers off the safe path.

  • The marsh light appeared suddenly, illuminating the fog.

  • Some believe a marsh light is caused by natural gases igniting above the wetlands.

  • I saw a faint marsh light flickering in the distance.

  • As we crossed the bog, a pale marsh light hovered near the reeds.

  • Local legends claim that a marsh light lured travelers off the safe path.

  • The marsh light appeared suddenly, illuminating the fog.

Synonyms

friar's lantern
vsmarsh light
  • Archaic
9.9

A pale, flickering light that appears at night over marshy ground

is the gentler more steady faint glow rather than a flickering light
jack-o'-lantern
vsmarsh light
  • Archaic
8.5

A pale light seen at night over wet ground in old stories

is usually a faint unexplained glow without explicitly naming any cause

Surface Forms

marsh light singular
marsh lights plural

Morphology

marsh + light

The phrase simply combines 'marsh' (wetland) and 'light' (a visible brightness) to denote a light located over marshy ground, so the basic meaning is directly derivable from its parts. Any folkloric or mysterious connotations are secondary; the core spatial/compositional meaning is transparent and predictable for a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Marsh light comes from old stories about a pale light that seems to float over a wet marsh at night. People said this glow could 'lure' travelers off the safe path, so today the phrase means a strange, unexplained light seen over marshy ground.