Lamp Comes From the Greek for Shining
A lamp is a device giving light. Its Greek root also gave English a word for brilliance of mind.
A lamp is a device that produces light. Greek *lampein*, to shine, gives *lamp* and also *lampas*, a torch — the root behind *lampoon* is unrelated, but *lamprey* and *limpid* are debated cousins. The clearest relative is *lantern*, from the same Greek family through Latin. A *lamp* originally burned oil with a wick; the word survived every change of technology, from oil to gas to filament to diode.
- A light source. *A table lamp.*
- An oil lamp. *An oil lamp.*
- Lantern — a related word. *A lantern.*
- Lampshade. *A lampshade.*
- Greek — *lampein*, to shine. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lamp | A lamp. |
| Plural | lamps | Lamps. |
| Compound | lamppost | A lamppost. |
| Related | lantern | A lantern. |
| Greek | lampein | To shine. |
- Switch on the lamp.Light.
- An oil lamp burned all night.Historical.
- Lampein means to shine.Etymology.
A word that outlived its technology
- Oil lamp — a wick drawing fuel from a reservoir
- Gas lamp — burning coal gas through a mantle
- Filament lamp — heating a wire until it glows
- Fluorescent lamp — exciting gas to emit ultraviolet
- LED lamp — a semiconductor emitting light directly
Old French *lampe*, from Latin *lampas*, from Greek *lampas*, a torch, from *lampein*, to shine.
Are lamp and lantern related?
Yes. Both descend from the Greek word for a torch, arriving in English by slightly different routes through Latin and French.
Why is a light bulb still called a lamp?
The word named the function rather than the technology, so it survived the shift from oil to gas to filament to diode.