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flash lamp

American  
Or flashlamp

noun

Photography.
  1. a lamp for providing momentary illumination of the subject of a photograph.


Etymology

Origin of flash lamp

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

In 1960, Theodore Maiman demonstrated the first working laser using a synthetic ruby rod and a photographer’s flash lamp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

A conductor appears with a flash lamp and lights their way.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2022

The Flashcube’s grandmother, the flash lamp, carried an even greater risk of violence.

From Slate • Dec. 21, 2021

Invented in 1960, lasers use an external "pump," such as a flash lamp, to excite electrons within the atoms of a lasing material—usually a gas, crystal, or semiconductor.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 24, 2018

To their right, in the faint light of the flash lamp, a narrow stairway was revealed leading to the second story.

From The Oakdale Affair by Burroughs, Edgar Rice