approach light

American  

noun

Aeronautics.

1. one of a series of lights installed along the projected centerline of an airport runway to assist a pilot in aligning the aircraft during the approach to landing at night.

---

Etymology

Origin of approach light

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Scerri doesn’t believe the periodic table is seriously threatened by elements like oganesson; he points out that some of the electrons in gold atoms spin at velocities that approach light speed, too.

From The New Yorker

On the descent, the plane, which witnesses said was flying with its right wing lower than its left, struck an approach light that was 1,000 feet from the threshold of the runway.

From New York Times

It felt like an appropriate approach: Light beers are only 4 percent alcohol, and it’s common to see 70 year-old Prague women having one over breakfast.

From New York Times

Others recommend keeping your approach light and mirroring the way the sales clerk acts as well as mentioning the competition or your loyalty to the seller and asking lots of questions before asking for the discount.

From New York Times

Last week, at Newark Airport, the Air Line Pilots Association demonstrated a new approach light system designed to make life easier for the man in the final moments of flight.

From Time Magazine Archive