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beacon

noun
/ˈbiːkən/UK

Etymology

From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).

  1. derived from *bʰeh₂u-✻
  2. inherited from *baukną✻
  3. inherited from *baukn✻
  4. inherited from bēacn
  5. inherited from beken

Definitions

  1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of…

    A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.

    • No flaming Beacons caſt their Blaze afar, / The dreadful Signal of invaſive VVar.

  2. A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or…

    A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners, particularly to warn vessels of danger.

    • Henceforth, wherever thou may’st roam, / ⁠My blessing, like a line of light, / ⁠Is on the waters day and night, / And like a beacon guards thee home.

  3. A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as…

    A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.

  4. ›+ 11 more definitions

    1. That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path

      That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.

      • a beacon of hope
      • Modest doubt is called / The beacon of the wise.
      • Latin America’s largest economy, with a population of more than 200 million people, is a beacon for China’s delivery and ride-hailing companies looking to export their ruthlessly low-cost business models.

    2. An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling…

      An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.

    3. Ellipsis of web beacon.

    4. To act as a beacon.

    5. To give light to, as a beacon

      To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.

      • That beacons the darkness of heaven.

    6. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.

    7. A town in Western Australia.

    8. A city and town in Iowa, United States.

    9. A city in New York, United States.

    10. A hamlet in Devon, England.

    11. A surname.

The neighborhood

Derived

aerobeacon, beaconage, Beacon Falls, Beaconite, beaconless, beaconlike, beacon of hope, beaconry, beacon school, beaconwise, Belisha beacon, bog beacon, daybeacon, day beacon, emergency position indicating radio beacon, floating beacon, interbeacon, marker beacon, personal locator beacon, racon, radio beacon, rotating beacon, swamp beacon, web beacon

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for beacon. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA