GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Incandescent , a. [L. incandecens, -entis, p. pr. of incandescere to become warm or hot; pref. in- in + candescere to become of a glittering whiteness, to become red hot, incho. fr. candere to be of a glittering whiteness: cf. F. incandescent. See Candle.] White, glowing, or luminous, with intense heat; as, incandescent carbon or platinum; hence, clear; shining; brilliant.
   1913 Webster
   Holy Scripture become resplendent; or, as one might say, incandescent throughout.
   I. Taylor.
   
   1913 Webster
   Incandescent lamp, Incandescent light, Incandescent light bulb (Elec.), a kind of lamp in which the light is produced by a thin filament of conducting material, now usually tungsten, but originally carbon, contained in a vacuum or an atmosphere of inert gas within a glass bulb, and heated to incandescence by an electric current. It was inventerd by Thomas Edison, and was once called the Edison lamp; -- called also incandescence lamp, and glowlamp. This is one of the two most common sources of electric light, the other being the fluorescent light, fluorescent lamp or fluorescent bulb.
   1913 Webster
   +PJC
   
         
       

2.       
   Tungsten lamp. An electric glow lamp having filaments of metallic tungsten, and contained in a glass bulb which is evacuated or has an inert gas, to avoid oxidation of the tungsten; a common form of light bulb. Such lamps, owing to the refractory nature of the metal, may be maintained at a very high temperature and require an expenditure of only about 1.25 watts per candle power, depending on the total wattage and the design of the bulb. By mid-20th century tungsten lamps became the most common type of incandescent (as contrasted with fluorescent) lamp; thus the phrase incandescent lamp or incandescent light typically refers to a tungsten lamp.
   Webster 1913 Suppl.
   +PJC