beacon light
- noun
- /ˈbiːkən laɪt/
:
faro
- Sailors depend on the beacon light to navigate through treacherous waters safely.
Examples
-
As night fell, the bright beacon light shone across the harbor, guiding vessels home.
-
Residents report beacon lights turned on after closing hours.
-
Then, like a miracle, a beacon light breaks through the clouds.
Fiction book (1992) -
(Wind howls) - Can you make out the beacon light?
-
Oh, and you know this because there's a beacon light in the sky that I can't see because I'm human.
-
A half moon rode among the scudding clouds, the unwinking brilliant beacon light of Selene visible along its terminator between night and day.
Fiction book (2001) -
The tall beacon light warned ships to stay clear of the dangerous rocks nearby.
Synonyms
66
4.3
A light or fire on the coast that guides ships and warns of danger
65
1.8
A tall tower on the coast with a bright light that guides ships
2
9.9
A tall tower with a light that guides ships at sea
1
3.2
A light or fire used to send a message over a distance
1
9.9
A ship with a bright light anchored where a lighthouse cannot be built
1
8.3
A fire lit on a hill or tower to signal people far away
A tower with a light that guides ships at sea
Antonyms
How Visible
65
1.8
7
3.2
- Specialized
1
3.6
274
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from the constituents: a 'beacon' is a guiding/warning structure and 'light' specifies the luminous element, so 'beacon light' clearly denotes the guiding warning light. This compositional, non-idiomatic pattern is common across languages and follows transparent noun + noun compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Beacon light comes from the old practice of lighting a fire or lamp on a high place by the sea so ships could see at night. The word beacon meant a signal fire and light helped sailors spot dangerous rocks, so a beacon light became 'a warning' to passing ships.