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arc light

See more synonyms for arc light on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also arc lamp. a lamp in which the light source is a high-intensity electric arc either between carbon rods in air or between metal electrodes in a xenon gas atmosphere enclosed in a quartz bulb.
  2. the light produced by such a lamp.
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Compare carbon arc, xenon arc.

Origin of arc light

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for arc light

Historical Examples

  • Anyway, look the man over when he passes under the arc-light.

    Nan of Music Mountain

    Frank H. Spearman

  • It is visible at some hour every clear night, and has been called the arc-light of the sky.

    A Field Book of the Stars

    William Tyler Olcott

  • His face was well lighted by the arc-light under the arch of the door.

    The Landloper

    Holman Day

  • Even the arc-light that Foucault produced in 1844 was not utilized then.

    Invention

    Bradley A. Fiske

  • Under the blue white of the arc-light, her face was that of a dead woman.

British Dictionary definitions for arc light

arc light

noun
  1. a light source in which an arc between two electrodes, usually carbon, produces intense white illuminationAlso called: arc lamp
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012