beacon means A town in Western Australia. It carries an Arena rating of 1359, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, beacon ranks #1,800 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,031 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words.
beacon is pronounced /ˈbiːkən/.
Why “beacon” is a great word
A fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or guide. From Middle English *beken*, from Old English *bēacn* ("sign, signal"), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn*, from Proto-Germanic *baukną*, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-*, *bʰeh₂-* ("to shine"). Unlike a buoy, a floating, anchored marker, or a lighthouse, a substantial, permanent tower, a beacon is a more elemental idea—any conspicuous flame or gleam meant to be seen from afar. It is the solitary bonfire blazing on a headland to guide ships, the watchman's torch waved from the castle wall, the lone candle placed in a window to say *here* across a trackless night—a fragile point of order held against the consuming entropy of distance and obscurity.
Etymology
From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”).
Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).
name
- A town in Western Australia.
- A city and town in Iowa, United States.
- A city in New York, United States.
- A hamlet in Devon, England.
- A surname.
noun
- A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
- A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners, particularly to warn vessels of danger.e.g.“Henceforth, wherever thou may’st roam, / My blessing, like a line of light, / Is on the waters day and night, / And like a beacon guards thee home.”
- A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
- That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.e.g.“a beacon of hope”
- An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
verb
- To act as a beacon.
- To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.e.g.“That beacons the darkness of heaven.”
- To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Words closest in meaning
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