1. Word finder
  2. Word definitions
  3. pilot light

Find the word definition

What is "pilot light"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
pilot light
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A pilot light on the tank's control panel conveniently lets you know when the iron is running out of steam.
▪ A tiny pilot light, if you like, that was necessary to set everything else in motion.
▪ Still swearing under his breath, Dexter pulled off the cover from the bottom of the boiler and relit the pilot light.
▪ The blue pilot light glowed behind the window of the central-heating boiler but the pump was switched off.
▪ The comforting blue flame of the pilot light was dead, blown out by the gusting wind of the night before.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Pilot light

Pilot lamp \Pilot lamp\ or Pilot light \Pilot light\ (Elec.)

  1. A small incandescent telltale lamp on a dynamo or battery circuit to show approximately by its brightness the voltage of the current.

  2. a small light on an electrical device to indicate whether the device is in operation or that the power is on.

Pilot light

Pilot light \Pi"lot light`\, n. a small gas flame kept burning continuously on a stove, water heater, or other gas-burning device, so as to allow immediate ignition of the main flame when the gas flow is turned on.

Wiktionary
pilot light

n. 1 A small, persistent flame used to ignite gas. 2 A small telltale lamp on a dynamo or battery circuit whose brightness indicates the voltage of the current.

WordNet
pilot light

  1. n. small auxiliary gas burner that provides a flame to ignite a larger gas burner [syn: pilot burner, pilot]

  2. indicator consisting of a light to indicate whether power is on or a motor is in operation [syn: pilot lamp, indicator lamp]

Wikipedia
Pilot light

thumb|right|Merker gas-fired water heater from the 1930s, with pilot light clearly visible through the aperture in the front cover. The large opening allowed for the manual lighting of the pilot light by a lit match or taper A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which serves as an ignition source for a more powerful gas burner. Originally, a pilot light was kept permanently alight; however, this is wasteful of gas. Now it is more common to light a burner electrically, but gas pilot lights are still used when a high energy ignition source is necessary, as in when lighting a large burner.

The term "pilot light" is also used occasionally for an electrical indicator light that illuminates to show that electrical power is available, or that an electrical device is operating. Such indicators were originally incandescent lamps or neon lamps, but now are usually LEDs.

Usage examples of "pilot light".

There is a loud whine, the turbine fires up with a loud hiss like the pilot light on a huge hot-water heater catching, and the exhaust-gas temperature gauge shoots into the red while the rotors begin to turn.

We're still one pilot light, but Aril Nunb rejoined us temporarily for yesterday's celebration.

They still had not gotten a pilot to replace Lujayne so Three Flight remained one pilot light.

It is a storage type, with a pilot light and a thermostatically controlled main flame.

Or might be a pilot light or lamp that's been burning for a while.

Finally, before leaving the lab, he goes back over to that oven, and slides the corner of that stack of intercept sheets very close to a pilot light.

We're already one pilot light because of Corran's death, so we need everyone we can get.

Biron was suddenly aware that the tiny pilot light which would have indicated a live sending circuit was not on.