range light

noun

1
: either of two or more lights on shore placed to guide a ship by keeping it in line (as through a channel)
2
a
range lights plural : two white lights in the same vertical plane as the keel with one at least fifteen feet higher than and horizontally distant from the other that may be carried by a steamer under way to indicate her course
b
: the after of these two lights

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of range light was in 1851

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Cite this Entry

“Range light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/range%20light. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

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