flambeau

[flam-boh]

noun, plural flam·beaux [flam-bohz] /ˈflæm boʊz/, flam·beaus.

a flaming torch.

a torch for use at night in illuminations, processions, etc.

a large, decorated candlestick.

an ornament having the form of a flaming torch.

Origin of flambeau

1625–35; < French: torch, derivative of Old French flambe flame

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flambeaux

torch, lamp, beacon, lantern, dip, incendiary, light, flash, flare, bougie

Examples from the Web for flambeaux

Historical Examples of flambeaux

As soon as we arrived, Lucien had the satisfaction of trying one of our flambeaux.
Adventures of a Young Naturalist
Lucien Biart
One of the last tents of the camp shone within as a star with flambeaux.
Cinq Mars, Complete
Alfred de Vigny
They saw a light: no doubt the flambeaux accompanying the vehicles.
The Royal Life Guard
Alexander Dumas (pere)
Mark the flambeaux guttering and sputtering into an odorous death.
The Passionate Elopement
Compton Mackenzie
On the altar, there are angels with flambeaux in their hands, of wooden carving.
The Old Franciscan Missions Of California
George Wharton James

British Dictionary definitions for flambeaux

flambeau

noun plural -beaux (-bəʊ, -bəʊz) or -beaus

a burning torch, as used in night processions

a large ornamental candlestick

Word Origin for flambeau

C17: from Old French: torch, literally: a little flame, from flambe flame

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

Word Origin and History for flambeaux

flambeau

also flambeaux, 1630s, from French flambeau, from flambe "flame" (see flamboyant).