See Also: BEACON(law)
beacon(dictionary)
beacon(dictionary)
Beacon(finance)
BEACON(money)
BEACON MUTUAL(finance)
Belisha beacon(dictionary)
Beacon's Beach(tourism)
Belisha beacon(dictionary)
radio beacon(dictionary)

beacon (iou)



beacon noun & verb.
[Old English beacn = Old Frisian becen, bacen, Old Saxon bokan, Old High German bouhhan, from West Germanic (cf. BECKON verb), of unkn. origin.]
A. noun.
A sign, a portent; an ensign, a standard. OE-L15.
A signal fire lighted on a pole, a hill, or other high place. ME.
A signal station, a watch-tower. LME.
Any light or other object serving as a signal, warning, or guide, esp. at sea (a lighthouse etc.) or on an airfield. LME.
BELISHA BEACON.
M. Lowry The mariner who, sighting the faint beacon of Start Point after a long voyage, knows that he will soon embrace his wife. M. M. Kaye With the lights of the camp providing a beacon that could be seen for miles across the plains. fig.: Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida Modest doubt is call'd The beacon of the wise.
b. A radio transmitter whose signal helps to determine the position of a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. E20.
A conspicuous hill suitable for the site of a signal fire. Freq. in names, as Brecon Beacons, Dunkery Beacon, etc. L16.
b. verb.
verb trans. Foll. by up: kindle as a beacon. Only in M17.
verb trans. Provide or indicate with a beacon or beacons. L18.
verb trans. Illuminate, lead, or guide in the manner of a beacon. E19.
verb intrans. Shine like a beacon. E19.
beaconage noun (a) a toll paid for the maintenance of beacons; (b) a system of beacons: E17.