Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Lighthouse |
LighthouseNoun1. A tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "lighthouse" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1719. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | LIGHTHOUSE, n. A tall building on the seashore in which the government maintains a lamp and the friend of a politician. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Dream Interpretation | If you see a lighthouse through a storm, difficulties and grief will assail you, but they will disperse before prosperity and happiness. To see a lighthouse from a placid sea, denotes calm joys and congenial friends. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Electrical Engineering | An assembly consisting of a light and its support and subsidiary structures, designed to give a light signal of a distinctive character to mark a geographical location, in order to assist navigation. Source: European Union. (references) |
Literature | Lighthouse The most celebrated of antiquity was the one erected by Ptolemy Soter in the island of Pharos, opposite Alexandria. Josephus says it could be seen at the distance of 42 miles. It was one of the "seven wonders" of the ancient world. Of modern lighthouses the most famous are the Eddystone, 14 miles S.W. of Plymouth Sound; the Tour de Corduan, at the entrance of the Gironde, in France; and the Bell Rock, which is opposite the Frith of Tay. The largest lighthouses are:- (1) The lighthouse at Hell Gate in New York, 250 feet high, with 9 electric lamps of 6,000 candle-power each. (2) The Bartholdi Statue of Liberty, in New York harbour, 220 feet high. (3) One in Genoa, Italy, 210 feet in height. (4) Cape Hatteras Light, which is 189 feet high. (5) Eddystone Lighthouse is 85 feet high, and lights a radius of 17 miles. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A lighthouse.
An aid for navigation at sea, a lighthouse is a tower building or framework sending out light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a burning fire. More primitive navigational aids were once used such as a fire on top of a hill or cliff, (see beacon). Because of modern navigational aids, the number of active lighthouses has declined to fewer than 1,500 worldwide. Lighthouses are used to mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals away from the coast and safe entries to harbors. Lighthouses have become popular tourist destinations.
In the United States, lighthouses are maintained by the United States Coast Guard. In the United Kingdom, they are looked after by Trinity House.
Perhaps the most famous lighthouse in history is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built on the island of Pharos in ancient Egypt. The name of the island is still used as the noun for "lighthouse" in some languages, for example French (phare), Italian (faro), Spanish (faro) and Portuguese (farol).
In the beginning of the 20th century Swedish inventor Gustav Dahlén invented the AGA Lighthouse which made manned lighthouses obsolote. Today there are no manned lighthouses left in existence.
See also: List of lighthouses and lightvessels, lightvessel, Robert Louis Stevenson, Grace Darling, Jean Guichard
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Lighthouse."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Lighthouse of Alexandria (often called the Pharos after the island on which it rested), was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Location
Pharos was a small island just off the coast of Egypt which, with its artificial connection to the mainland (the Heptastadion) formed one side of the harbour of Alexandria. As the landscape in the area was very flat and lacking in the kind of landmark used at the time for navigation, a marker of some sort at the mouth of the harbour was deemed necessary. The lighthouse was built by Sostratus of Cnidus in the 3rd century BC, the project having been initiated by the first Hellenistic ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy Soter.
Existence
With the exception of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the lighthouse lasted the longest of the Seven Wonders. It was severely damaged by two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323, to the point that the Arab traveller Ibn Battuta reported not being able to enter the ruin. Even the stubby remnant disappeared in 1480, when the then-Sultan of Egypt, Qaitbay, used the rubble to help build a fort at a nearby location.
It has given the name of its island, Pharos, to the generic term for "lighthouse" in many languages such as French (phare), Spanish (faro).
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Lighthouse of Alexandria."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse is part of the Wilsons Promontory Lightstation, situated on South East Point, Wilsons Promontory. The lighthouse protects shipping travelling through Bass Strait. The lighthouse, contructed from nearby granite, stands 20m tall and was completed in 1859.
Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse (larger)Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse."
Synonyms: LighthouseSynonyms: beacon (n), beacon light (n), pharos (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Indication | Beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, weathercock; guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost; pillars of Hercules, pharos; bale-fire, beacon-fire; l'etoile du Nord; landmark, seamark; lighthouse, balize; polestar, loadstar, lodestar; cynosure, guide; address, direction, name; sign, signboard. |
Warning | Watchtower, beacon, signal post; lighthouse; (indication of locality). sentinel, sentry; watch, watchman; watch and ward; watchdog, bandog, housedog; patrol, patrolman, vedette, picket, bivouac, scout, spy, spial; undercover agent, mole, plainclothesman; advanced guard, rear guard; lookout. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Lighthouse |
| English words defined with "lighthouse": eternally, everlastingly, evermore ♦ Fanal, feebly, forever ♦ Light keeper, lighthouse keeper, Lighthouses, lightship ♦ Phare, Pharo ♦ Revolving light. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "lighthouse": Inventors Punished ♦ Pharian Fields. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "lighthouse": Pharos. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I'm like a lighthouse! I stayed lit for you man (Very Bad Things; writing credit: Peter Berg) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Lighthouse Mouse (1955) The Lighthouse by the Sea (1924) Lighthouse by the Sea (1924) The Lady of the Lighthouse (1915) Haunted Lighthouse (2003) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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Theater & Movies | |||
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Diagram showing relationship of tide to marker at Poolbeg Lighthouse Datum referred to low water April 8, 1837 for County Dublin Note use of Mean Sea Level. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Bob Pryce operating Wild T-3 theodolite at Chandeleur Lighthouse. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Pigeon Point Lighthouse as seen from the south at low tide on a misty day. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | The lighthouse at Gay Head. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Lighthouse and palmetto. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
 | Looking from the restoration site facing northeast at the tip of Mona Island are the cliffs. At the east end of the island is an old lighthouse. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |  | Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Live oaks and palmetto at sunrise on the road to Sapelo Lighthouse. The Reynolds Mansion, also called. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
 | Tatoosh Lighthouse from offshore. Credit: Sanctuaries. |  | Figure 4. Stevenson dynanometer, designed by the Scotch engineer Thomas Stevenson in 1843. This instrument measured the pressure exerted by waves on a vertical surface. He used this instrument to measure the pressure of waves at the lighthouse at Skerryvore where pressures close to 30 tons per square meter were observed. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "LightHouse" by Tomaz Jug Commentary: "This is a nice picture of a lighthouse in the old harbor of Chania, Grece. ." | "Lighthouse" by Atys Commentary: "Fastnet lighthouse Ireland." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | Fog horn, lighthouse; shipping; ocean; ship; fog; dark; lost at sea; storm. | | Alarm; alert; balefire; beam; bonfire; flare; guidepost; heliograph; lamp; lantern; lighthouse; lodestar; pharos; radar; rocket; rocket; sign; signal fire; smoke signal; beacon; warning signal; watchtower. |
| Fog horn, lighthouse; shipping; ocean; ship; fog; dark; lost at sea; storm. | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Dickens | Anything for the quick life, as the man said when he took the situation at the lighthouse. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | Bahamas | It includes three resorts-Breakers Cay, Lighthouse Pointe, and Manor House-14 restaurants, meeting and convention rooms, and state-of-the-art amenities. (references) |
Political Economy | BRAZIL | Naval authorities attempted to collect lighthouse dues in 2000 from flag ships of countries, such as the United States, with bilateral maritime agreements, even though these dues were in violation of these agreements. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Lighthouse" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 96.10% of the time. "Lighthouse" is used about 282 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 96.1% | 271 | 17,854 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.9% | 11 | 106,044 |
| Total | 100.00% | 282 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| United Kingdom | Lighthouse Group P.L.C. | USA | Digital Lighthouse Corp |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "lighthouse": lighthouse beam ♦ lighthouse keeper ♦ Lighthouse Point ♦ lighthouse service. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "lighthouse": lighthouse-keeper. | |
Ending with "lighthouse": anti-lighthouse, shoal-lighthouse. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "lighthouse"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | fener deti (seamark), far (lantern, light house), fanar (lantern). (various references) | |
Arabic | فنار, منارة (beacon, highlight, light, minaret). (various references) | |
Basque | faro (beacon, do to, make to), egin (beacon, do, do to, make to). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | фар (beacon, headlight, lamp, lantern, light, sea mark), маяк (beacon, sea mark). (various references) | |
Chinese | 燈塔 , 灯塔 (Lighthouses), 岸標 (shore beacon). (various references) | |
Czech | maják (beacon, sea mark). (various references) | |
Danish | fyrtårn (beacon). (various references) | |
Dutch | vuurtoren (beacon), lichttoren, vuurbaak. (various references) | |
Esperanto | lumturo. (various references) | |
Farsi | فانوس دریاءی (Pharos), چراغ خانه , برج فانوس دریاءی . (various references) | |
Finnish | majakka (beacon, light). (various references) | |
French | phare (light). (various references) | |
Frisian | ljochttoer, fjoertoer. (various references) | |
German | Leuchtturm (beacon). (various references) | |
Greek | φάρος (beacon). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מגדלור (beacon). (various references) | |
Hungarian | világítótorony (beacon, beacon-light). (various references) | |
Italian | faro (beacon, flood light, floodlight, headlight, light, projector). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 灯台 , 灯台 , ライトウエルター級 (light beer, light director, light opera, light van, light welterweight, lightning, right-hand). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ライトハウス , とうだい (head of the family, passing the examination, privation, the present age, these days, Tokyo University). (various references) | |
Korean | 등대 (Lighthouses). (various references) | |
Manx | thie sollysh, thie soilshee. (various references) | |
Occitan | far (beacon, do, make). (various references) | |
Papiamen | faro. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ighthouselay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | farol (buoy, claptrap, headlight, lantern, light, pharos, traffic light, traffic lights). (various references) | |
Romanian | far (beacon, head-light, light, luminary, Pharos). (various references) | |
Russian | маяк (beacon, pharos, screed, seamark). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | svetionik (beacon). (various references) | |
Spanish | faro (beacon, headlight, lamp, lantern, light). (various references) | |
Swedish | fyrtorn (beacon), fyr (beacon, lad, light, stove). (various references) | |
Thai | ประภาคาร. (various references) | |
Turkish | fener (beacon, cresset, dark lantern, flambeau, glim, lamp, lantern, phanar), deniz feneri (flare, light). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | маяк (beacon, seamark, watchtower). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | hải đăng (pharos), đèn biển. (various references) | |
Welsh | goleudy (beacon). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Arabic | 500-Modern | manarah, manarat. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "lighthouse": lighthouses. (additional references) | |
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"Lighthouse" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Lightbowne, lighthoues, lighthousc. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "lighthouse" (pronounced lī"thou's) |
| 4 | -t h ou' s | boathouse, courthouse, guesthouse, hothouse, outhouse, penthouse, statehouse. |
| 3 | -h ou' s | alehouse, boardinghouse, clearinghouse, clubhouse, coffeehouse, doghouse, dollhouse, farmhouse, firehouse, greenhouse, henhouse, jailhouse, longhouse, madhouse, packinghouse, Playhouse, poorhouse, powerhouse, roadhouse, roundhouse, schoolhouse, slaughterhouse, steakhouse, storehouse, townhouse, warehouse, whorehouse. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-g-h-h-i-l-o-s-t-u" | |
-2 letters: eulogist, ghoulies, ghoulish, toughies, toughish. | |
-3 letters: eighths, eoliths, ghoulie, gluiest, heights, highest, hogties, holiest, hostile, logiest, loutish, outlies, sleight, toughie, ugliest. | |
-4 letters: egoist, eighth, eights, eolith, ghouls, glouts, glutei, guiles, guilts, height, helios, helots, heughs, hights, hogtie, holies, holist, hostel, hotels, housel, hugest, hustle, isohel, legist, legits, lights, lithos, loughs, louies, oughts, outlie. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-g-h-h-i-l-o-s-t-u" | |
+1 letter: houselights, lighthouses. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Names: Company Usage 14. Expressions 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
