The Collaborative International Dictionary
Lamp \Lamp\ (l[a^]mp), n. [F. lampe, L. lampas, -adis, fr. Gr. ?, ?, torch, fr. ? to give light, to shine. Cf. Lampad, Lantern.]
A light-producing vessel, device, instrument or apparatus; formerly referring especially to a vessel with a wick used for the combustion of oil or other inflammable liquid, for the purpose of producing artificial light; also, a similar device using a gas as the combustible fuel; now referring mainly to an electric lamp. See sense [3].
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Figuratively, anything which enlightens intellectually or morally; anything regarded metaphorically a performing the uses of a lamp.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
--Ps. cxix. 105.Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appeared.
--Cowper. (Elec.) A device or mechanism for producing light by electricity, usually having a glass bulb or tube containing the light-emitting element. Most lamps belong to one of two categories, the Incandescent lamp (See under Incandescent) or the fluorescent lamp. However, see also arc lamp, below.
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A device that emits radiant energy in the form of heat, infrared, or ultraviolet rays; as, a heat lamp.
[AE]olipile lamp, a hollow ball of copper containing alcohol which is converted into vapor by a lamp beneath, so as to make a powerful blowpipe flame when the vapor is ignited.
--Weale.Arc lamp (Elec.), a form of lamp in which the voltaic arc is used as the source of light.
D["e]bereiner's lamp, an apparatus for the instantaneous production of a flame by the spontaneous ignition of a jet of hydrogen on being led over platinum sponge; -- named after the German chemist D["o]bereiner, who invented it. Called also philosopher's lamp.
Flameless lamp, an aphlogistic lamp.
Lamp burner, the part of a lamp where the wick is exposed and ignited.
--Knight.Lamp fount, a reservoir for oil, in a lamp.
Lamp jack. See 2d Jack, n., 4 (l) & (n) .
Lamp shade, a screen, as of paper, glass, or tin, for softening or obstructing the light of a lamp.
Lamp shell (Zo["o]l.), any brachiopod shell of the genus Terebratula and allied genera. The name refers to the shape, which is like that of an antique lamp. See Terebratula.
Safety lamp, a miner's lamp in which the flame is surrounded by fine wire gauze, preventing the kindling of dangerous explosive gases; -- called also, from Sir Humphry Davy the inventor, Davy lamp.
To smell of the lamp, to bear marks of great study and labor, as a literary composition.
Wiktionary
n. a gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light.
WordNet
n. lamp consisting of a tube coated on the inside with a fluorescent material; mercury vapor in the tube emits ultraviolet radiation that is converted to visible radiation by the fluorescent material
Wikipedia
A fluorescent lamp or a fluorescent tube is a low pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor which produces short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the lamp to glow. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical energy into useful light much more efficiently than incandescent lamps. The typical luminous efficacy of fluorescent lighting systems is 50–100 lumens per watt, several times the efficacy of incandescent bulbs with comparable light output, but less than that of a typical LED bulb.
Fluorescent lamp fixtures are more costly than incandescent lamps because they require a ballast to regulate the current through the lamp, but the lower energy cost typically offsets the higher initial cost. Compact fluorescent lamps are now available in the same popular sizes as incandescents and are used as an energy-saving alternative in homes.
Because they contain mercury, many fluorescent lamps are classified as hazardous waste. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recommends that fluorescent lamps be segregated from general waste for recycling or safe disposal, and some jurisdictions require recycling of them.
Usage examples of "fluorescent lamp".
A squat fluorescent lamp with a flexible neck stood on the oak desk in the work area behind the check-in counter, casting a pale rectangle on the green felt blotter.
He thought of taking the fluorescent lamp, but knew Daddy wouldn't like it.
In the white light of the fluorescent lamp above his head, as he lay on the window, he saw the oil leaking into the cabin.
There was an acrid smell of tannic acid and over each white table a low fluorescent lamp.
I stared at it in amazement, the dug-out shelf above him where he had placed matches, a row of batteries, and a battery-powered fluorescent lamp that cast the only light in the room—.
There was nobody in the long, narrow, desk-filled room but a lone sailor in whites, reading a rainbow-colored comic magazine under the fluorescent lamp of a desk at the far end.
We already produce small ones by winding coils of insulated copper wire onto an iron core, similar to the choke or ballast used in a fluorescent lamp.
There was a fluorescent lamp clamped to the table, and I turned it on.
He switched the lamp on, and it was a fluorescent lamp giving a bright daylight-blue light.
The white light of the overhead fluorescent lamp felt pleasant to Rohan'.
A fluorescent lamp provides more light than most incandescents of the same power.
He nodded violently, like the ifickering of a bad fluorescent lamp.