bea·con / ˈbēkən/ • n. a fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration: a chain of beacons carried the news fig. the prospect of a new government was a beacon of hope for millions. ∎  a light or other visible object serving as a signal, warning, or guide, esp. at sea or on an airfield. ∎  a radio transmitter whose signal helps to fix the position of a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.

beacon the maintenance of a chain of beacons as a warning signal was one of the means of national defence against a possible Spanish invasion in late 16th-century England. From this, beacon came to mean a conspicuous hill suitable for the site of a signal fire (frequently occurring in place-names, as Brecon Beacons, Dunkery Beacon).

Recorded from Old English (in form bēacn) meaning ‘sign, portent’, the word is of West Germanic origin and is related to beckon.

Beacon

Journal presenting the teachings of Alice A. Bailey (1880-1949), former Theosophist who founded her own Arcane School. Address: Lucis Publishing Co., 113 University Pl., 11th Fl., Box 722, Cooper Sta., New York, NY 10017.

beacon †sign, standard OE.; signal-fire, lighthouse XIV. OE. bēacn = OS. bōkan, OHG. bouhhan :- WGmc. *baukna (Cf. BECKON), of unkn. orig.