sunbeam

sun·beam  (snbm)

n.

A ray of sunlight.

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[Middle English sunnebem, from Old English sunnebam (translation of Late Latin columna lcis, pillar of light) : sunne, sun; see sun + bam, tree, building post; see beam.]

Word History: Though the period of European history from the 5th to the 11th century is often called the Dark Ages, writers and scholars of the time in fact did much to preserve and extend the light of civilization. A minor but felicitous contribution to the English language from this period is the word sunbeam, which is believed to have entered English in the 9th century through the work of Alfred the Great. A scholar as well as a king, Alfred undertook and oversaw the translation of a number of Latin works into the English of his time, now known as Old English. Among these was The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a work composed by the Venerable Bede. The Latin phrase columna lcis, which we would today translate as "a column of light," occurs several times in this work. Since the Old English translator did not have the word column in his vocabulary, he used bam, which meant "a tree" or "a building post made from a tree" (our modern word beam). Columna lcis thus became sunnebem, or "sun post," which survives as our sunbeam. Though perhaps less stately than "column of light," sunbeam has brightened our language. From it the word beam alone came to mean "a ray or rays of light"; it subsequently became a verb meaning "to radiate." It now allows us not only to beam with pride or happiness but also to beam our broadcasts around the earth and even to the stars.

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sunbeam [ˈsʌnˌbiːm]

n

1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a beam, ray, or stream of sunlight

2. (Cookery) Austral slang a piece of crockery or cutlery laid for a meal but remaining unused

sunbeamed , sunbeamy adj

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

sunbeam - a ray of sunlight                     sunray light beam, ray, ray of light, beam of light, shaft of light, irradiation, beam, shaft - a column of light (as from a beacon) sunlight, sunshine, sun - the rays of the sun; "the shingles were weathered by the sun and wind"

Translations

sunbeam [ˈsʌnbiːm] N → rayo m de sol

sunbeam [ˈsʌnbiːm] n → rayon m de soleil

sunbeam [ˈsʌnˌbiːm] n → raggio di sole

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sunbeam [ˈsʌnˌbiːm] n → raggio di sole