beacon
Meanings
noun
- A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
- 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.
- A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
- That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
- An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
- Ellipsis of web beacon.
verb
- To act as a beacon.
- To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
- To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
name
- A town in Western Australia.
- A city and town in Iowa, United States.
- A city in New York, United States.
- A hamlet in Devon, England.
- A surname.
Pronunciation
Word forms
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”).
Related words
Derived words
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