source of illumination
1
3.9
- noun
:
fuente de iluminación
- During the blackouts, people often use candles as a traditional source of illumination.
- the only source of illumination
- the primary source of illumination
Examples
-
The lamp on the desk serves as a reliable source of illumination for late-night reading.
-
Sometimes the bright sunlight is a better source of illumination.
Academic text (2001) -
The primary source of illumination is the massive T.V. set in the wall opposite the bed.
Fiction book (1995) -
I sometimes think of earlier times when candles were the only source of illumination. "I think about that, too."
Fiction book (1990) -
Moonlight was now the primary source of illumination.
Fiction book (2002) -
Neither effect can be accounted for entirely by the only visible source of illumination, the glass oil lamp.
Academic text (1993) -
Many sleeping areas use overhead lighting fixtures as their primary source of illumination.
Blog text (29) -
We turn on our helmet lights, and their glare banishes any other source of illumination.
Fiction book (1997) -
It made a perfect frame for Angel's halo and was also a source of illumination since the ring would reflect sunlight throughout the night.
Fiction book (1991) -
Hobbyists occasionally use a small high-intensity LED flashlight for focusing, but a heat-free fiber optic light is generally the best source of illumination.
Academic text (2010)
Synonyms
274
1.0
Something that gives light for a room or table
49
2.9
A strong focused lamp that lights one person or a small area on stage
12
3.0
A thing like a lamp or candle that makes a place bright so you can see
4
3.7
A light placed behind a screen or object to make it glow
3
6.7
A thing that gives off light or heat
1
5.6
A device or person that gives light to make things visible
1
8.4
Something that gives light, like a lamp or bulb
Antonyms
How Bright
∞
1.0
15
3.9
9
3.4
1
3.9
62
1.8
451
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
source + of + illumination
The noun phrase is transparently compositional: 'source' (origin/supplier) combined with 'illumination' (light) via the common 'source of X' pattern yields the literal meaning of something that provides light. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and the construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.
Etymology
The noun source of illumination makes a clear image: source is where something comes from and illumination means light, so imagine a single candle or lamp in a dark room lighting everything. That's why it means 'a device or object that emits visible light'.