Skip to main content
gas lamp

gas lamp

3 5.3
A lamp that burns gas to make light
  • noun
  • /ɡæs læmp/
  • Archaic
translation icon : farol de gas
  • At dusk, the streets were aglow with gas lamps that flickered softly in the breeze.
  • lit the gas lamps
  • gas lamps flickered
  • glow of gas lamps

Examples

  • One half of the apartments do not see daylight or get fresh air, and gas lamps burn day and night.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Spices and teas perfumed the store, while gas lamps provided light.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Look at that gas lamp.

  • I suppose you have gas lamps in that pack of yours?

    Fiction book (1998)
  • For a moment, the soft hiss of the gas lamps is the only sound.

    Academic text (1997)
  • And through the snow, you can see the flickering of gas lamps...

    Fiction book (1991)
  • That gas lamp dates back to 1800s.

  • While the maid pulled the curtains, Jerome lit the gas lamps on each wall.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Enormous gas lamps arranged around the arena hissed and were lit.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Around us lay the most beautiful city in the world, already flickering with gas lamps, lining the prominent avenues.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

lamp
vsgas lamp
274 1.0

Something that gives light for a room or table

is the specific type that uses a gaseous fuel rather than other sources
oil lamp
vsgas lamp
7 4.1

A lamp that burns oil to give light

uses a gaseous fuel instead of liquid fuel to make light
kerosene lamp
vsgas lamp
5 3.7

A lamp that burns kerosene to give light

relies on burning a gas fuel rather than a liquid one
gaslight
vsgas lamp
  • Archaic
3 9.9

Light produced by burning gas for street or home use

is the physical device that burns that fuel to produce light
arc lamp
vsgas lamp
  • Archaic
1 5.3

A lamp that makes very bright light by a steady electric spark between two metal rods

works by burning fuel rather than by making an electrical discharge
electric lamp
vsgas lamp
1 1.7

A light that uses electricity to shine

creates light by burning a fuel instead of using electrical power
fluorescent lamp
vsgas lamp
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A long glass tube light used in offices and kitchens that uses electricity and lasts a long time

makes light through combustion of fuel rather than tube and vapor conversion

Antonyms

A light that uses electricity to shine

How Bright

spotlight
49 2.9
gas lamp
  • Archaic
3 5.3
oil lamp
7 4.1
candle
451 1.0

Surface Forms

gas lamp singular
gas lamps plural

Morphology

gas + lamp

The meaning 'a lamp that produces light by burning gas' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'gas' (a gaseous substance/fuel) with 'lamp' (a light source); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer it is a lamp powered by gas. This noun+noun composition follows common cross-linguistic compounding patterns and does not require idiomatic or metaphorical knowledge.

Etymology

Gas lamp comes from a simple image: a lamp that burns gas to give light. Before 'electricity', streets and homes used these lights, so the term means 'a lamp that gives light by burning gas'.