vigil light

noun

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

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

vigil light

noun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vigil light¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

She said the use of “so-called electric vigil lights” is prohibited under guidelines issued by the U.S.

Read more on Washington Times

Alvin Ailey dancers flicker like vigil lights in a dark theater.

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Items cemetery staff will remove and discard include vigil lights, statues, floral decorations, fences, boxes, toys, vases, glass, wood signs, cement blocks, and similar articles.

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A coldness passing through its root-beer-colored bricks, invading its rooms and blowing out the vigil light burning in the hall.

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He sat in one of the pews next to a bank of vigil lights and decorated his hands, his packages stacked beside him.

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