lucifer

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Science Literary · Archaic

n. a name for the planet Venus when it is seen in the sky before sunrise.

n. the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star. Derived from the Latin for 'light-bringer'.

“The poet looked up at the fading light of Lucifer in the early morning sky.”

“Ancient astronomers referred to the planet as Lucifer when it heralded the dawn, unaware it was the same celestial body they called Hesperus in the evening.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · British English

n. an old word for a match used to start a fire.

n. an early type of friction match, typically made of wood tipped with a combustible chemical mixture.

“He struck a lucifer against the wall to light his pipe.”

“The Victorian explorer fumbled in his pocket for a box of lucifers, desperate to provide some illumination in the damp cavern.”