See Also: sunbeam(dictionary)
sunbeam(dictionary)

sunbeam (iou)



sunbeam noun.
[Old English sun(n)beam, sunne-beam formed as SUN noun1 + BEAM noun.]
A beam or ray of sunlight. OE.
B. Chatwin The sunbeams, falling through sycamores, lit up spirals of midges.
b. A person, esp. a woman or girl, who is a cheering or enlivening influence. Cf. little ray of sunshine s.v. RAY noun1. L19.
[Orig. translating a Brazilian word.] A radiant-coloured hummingbird. Now spec. one of the genus Aglaeactis of western S. America. E17.
sunbeamed adjective (rare, Shakes.) = sunbeamy: only in L16.
sunbeamy adjective bright as a sunbeam; genial: M19.