beacon

name

1. A town in Western Australia.
2. A city and town in Iowa, United States.
3. A city in New York, United States.
4. A hamlet in Devon, England.
5. A surname.

noun

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”).

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. That 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.”

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. Ellipsis of web beacon.

verb

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”).

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.