beacon

nounverbcommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈbiːkən//

A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.

noun

1
A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
No flaming Beacons caſt their Blaze afar, / The dreadful Signal of invaſive VVar.
2
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.
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.
3
A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
4
figurativeThat which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
a beacon of hope
Modest doubt is called / The beacon of the wise.
Latin America’s largest economy, with a population of more than 200 million people, is a beacon for China’s delivery and ride-hailing companies looking to export their ruthlessly low-cost business models.
5
An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
6
Variant of web beaconEllipsis of web beacon.

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”).

verb

1
To act as a beacon.
2
To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
That beacons the darkness of heaven.
3
To furnish with a beacon or beacons.

Forms

plural: beacons
past tense: beaconed
past participle: beaconed
present participle: beaconing
third person singular: beacons

BEA · Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de…beach · The shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly.Beach · A surname.

beacon · A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.

Beacon · A town in Western Australia.bead · Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or…beads · A beaded necklace.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.