signal light
1
3.2
- noun
:
luz de señal
- Speeding taxis, flashing signal lights, and intricate subway systems are sure signs that you have arrived in a big, bustling city.
- flash their signal lights
Examples
-
Men in the elevators, watch the signal lights for your cues.
-
His left signal light came on.
Fiction book (1992) -
Put your signal lights on.
-
All you do here is watch out for signal lights.
Fiction book (1991) -
I'm about four cars out of 57th Street station being delayed by a red signal light.
-
D) Corpsmen check their watches and flash their signal lights.
Fiction book (1995) -
The signal light near 1.55 micrometers is amplified by stimulated emission of the excited erbium ions as it passes through the fiber.
Academic text (1993) -
In the Baseline condition, the target flash was preceded by a signal light; in the Self-Causal condition, participants pressed a button to generate the target flash; in the Machine-Causal condition, a separate machine pressed the button to generate the target flash.
Blog text (1) -
Drivers need to pay attention to the signal light at the intersection to ensure safety.
-
The signal light flashed repeatedly to alert pedestrians that it was safe to cross the street.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A device like a lamp or bulb that produces light
55
4.3
A small object that makes a very bright light to show your location
14
2.0
A light that flashes to warn people, for example on ambulances or at crossings
6
3.7
A light that flashes quickly and regularly to make visual effects
3
4.2
A fire lit to attract attention and show where people are
2
4.0
A light that turns on and off to give a signal
1
3.8
A message shown by lights, signs or gestures to give people information
1
3.8
A thing that uses sound or light to warn people and give information
1
8.3
A fire lit on a hill or tower to signal people far away
A tower with a light that warns ships about rocks and shallow water
How Bright
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a light used as a signal' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'signal' (something that conveys a cue) with 'light' (a lamp or device emitting light). This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows straightforward noun-noun modification, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Signal light comes from old fires or lamps placed on hills to send messages. People lit a light as a signal to warn others or to guide ships. So today signal light means 'a light used to give a warning or a message'.