vigil light

noun

a small candle in a church lighted as a devotional act.

a candle or small light kept burning before a shrine, icon, etc.

Origin of vigil light

First recorded in 1930–35

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

British Dictionary definitions for vigil light

vigil light

noun mainly RC Church

a small candle lit as an act of personal devotion before a shrine or statue, usually in a church

a small lamp kept permanently burning before such a shrine or statue

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