Welsbach burner

[ welz-bak, -bahk; German vels-bahkh ]

Trademark.

1. a brand of gaslight consisting essentially of a Bunsen burner on which an incombustible mantle Welsbach mantle composed of thoria and some ceria becomes brilliantly incandescent when exposed to flame.

Welsbach burner

/ ˈwɛlzbæk; ˈvɛlsbax /

noun

1. a type of gaslight in which a mantle containing thorium and cerium compounds becomes incandescent when heated by a gas flame

Word History and Origins

Origin of Welsbach burner¹

C19: named after Carl Auer, Baron von Welsbach (1858–1929), Austrian chemist, who invented it

Example Sentences

After it in strength comes the Welsbach burner, suitable for those having gas in the house.

From Project Gutenberg