noun / verb
beacon
BEE-kuhn/ˈbiːkən/
A conspicuous signal used to guide or warn.
The lighthouse shines as a beacon beside the rocky harbor entrance.
Etymology
Old English beacen covered both signs and lighthouses. A visible signal that helps people find their way provides the image behind the figurative sense of a source of guidance.
In context
… a fire Beacon was lit by the Watchers on the high Cliffs the signal was seen by another of the beacon networks some miles away …
More examples
- The school becomes a beacon of hope for the neighborhood.
- Engineers install warning beacons along the runway.
- The old account describes lights beaconing the ships toward shore.
Forms
beacon · beacons · beaconed · beaconing