eternal flame
Americannoun
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a contained fire ignited ceremonially and kept burning, usually in a public place and as a perpetual memorial or symbol.
On our trip to the United States we visited the grave of President John F. Kennedy, where there is an eternal flame.
The Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima features an eternal flame symbolizing the hope for a world free of nuclear weapons.
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a fire ignited naturally or accidentally, sometimes burning underground, and fueled by deposits of coal or natural gas that keep it from going out.
At the Burning Mountain in Australia, an eternal flame has been slowly burning underground for 6,000 years.
Etymology
Origin of eternal flame
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We're hopeful to get pictures and really do an assessment of the structure and assessment of all the external equipment," Mr Altemus told reporters.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2024
Handshakes were arguably easier to preserve since they did not require external equipment, just the ability to maneuver one’s wrist and fingers.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024
What you're not seeing in the video is the external equipment to generate the strong magnetic fields needed to control these robots.
From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2018
It is fitted with extra fuel tanks and an array of antennae and other external equipment, weighs more, and has more drag than the King Air 350.
From Time • Oct. 30, 2013
Today I took stock of supplies and did a quick EVA to check up on the external equipment.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.