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incandescent lamp

incandescent lamp

1 4.1
A light bulb that makes light by heating a thin wire inside glass
  • noun
  • /ˌɪn.kənˈdɛs.ənt læmp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bombilla incandescente
  • But most important of all, I had unscrewed the fluorescent light above my desk and instead used an incandescent lamp to light my workspace—an arrangement I have always made whenever and wherever I have had to spend my days in a cubicle.

Examples

  • Furthermore, this model shows that the SPD of white LEDs now being introduced for domestic lighting poses a theoretical risk compared to CFLs (or incandescent lamps that have little blue light).

    Academic text (2014)
  • I entered the vestibule, bathed in the warm yellow light of the incandescent lamps; the hosts seemed to have spared no expense for this gathering of the minds.

    Blog text (24)
  • The bill to rid us of the cheap incandescent lamp over the next few years.

    Blog text (33)
  • A new kind of light, The incandescent lamp, is one of the many inventions Thomas Edison would give to the world from generators.

  • The ILUMEX project, an end-use energy efficiency project, involves residential lighting in Mexico, which is almost entirely supplied by incandescent lamps.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The filament of the first Prestel incandescent lamp which I invented was a carbonized cotton thread.

  • I'm surprised Big Brother isn't forcing LED lighting onto all of us ignorant, unwashed plebes; they are the most efficient yet if you ignore the fact that they cost 100 times what an equivalent incandescent lamp would cost.

    Blog text (27)
  • The room was brightly lit by the incandescent lamp hanging from the ceiling.

  • Many household incandescent lamps require regular replacement due to their short lifespan.

  • She replaced the broken incandescent lamp with an energy-efficient LED bulb.

Synonyms

lamp
vsincandescent lamp
274 1.0

Something that gives light for a room or table

is specific to the filament and glass electric type rather than all illumination devices
bulb
vsincandescent lamp
166 1.3

A glass part of a lamp that makes light when electricity flows through it

emphasizes the filament heating process and its glowing effect inside glass
light bulb
vsincandescent lamp
62 1.8

A glass object that makes light when electricity passes through it

adds that the filament is usually tungsten rather than another metal
lightbulb
vsincandescent lamp
31 1.1

A small glass lamp with a wire inside that makes light when electricity flows

specifies the filament material as tungsten as a key technical detail
incandescent
vsincandescent lamp
12 4.4

A light bulb that makes light by a hot wire

specifies the filament is inside a glass enclosure heated by current
electric light
vsincandescent lamp
9 2.0

A light that gets power from wires, often from a bulb

is the specific filament device with tungsten wire heated by current
electric light bulb
vsincandescent lamp
1 2.1

A glass bulb with a thin wire that makes light when electricity passes through it

does not stress transparency and focuses on filament heating inside glass
electric lamp
vsincandescent lamp
1 1.7

A light that uses electricity to shine

is narrower describing the filament heated glass type rather than all electric devices

Antonyms

1.0

With little or no light and not bright

How Bright

floodlight
9 3.4
fluorescent lamp
  • Specialized
1 3.6
incandescent lamp
  • Specialized
1 4.1
oil lamp
7 4.1
candle
451 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

incandescent + lamp

The meaning 'an electric lamp that produces light by heating a filament' is directly derivable from combining 'incandescent' (producing visible light from heated material) with 'lamp' (a light source). This adjective + noun composition follows standard, cross-linguistically common patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

The term incandescent lamp comes from the simple image of a light whose thin wire gets very hot and 'glows' inside a glass bulb. The word incandescent means 'glowing with heat' and lamp means a light, so the name describes the old-style bulb that makes light by a hot wire.