roof lightn.
/ˈruːf lʌɪt/, /ˈrʊf lʌɪt/, U.S. /ˈruf ˌlaɪt/, /ˈrʊf ˌlaɪt/ 1.
a. A panel in or on the roof of a building or vehicle made of a material which admits light.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > types of window > [noun] > skylights, etc.
lucarne1548
shop light1602
skylight?c1660
bullock's-eye1728
lunette1742
roof light1763
light well1826
abat-jour1838
light shaft1870
dead-light1882
laylight1932
1763 Gentleman's & London Mag. Aug. 478/2 The roof lights are divided into three heights, and run on casters.
1799 Descr. Wooden Bridge at Schaffhausen 12 These hang-works render the burden of the roof-light upon the lower works.
1853 J. Timbs Year-bk. Facts in Sci. & Art 8 An unbroken line of roof-light, 14 feet wide, glazed with 21-ounce glass..surmounted the whole.
1907 Burlington Mag. May 90/1 It is..a beautiful architectural expression of the same need as is served by the range of vertical roof lights in a modern billiard-room.
1937 Discovery Nov. 345/1 The original roof of the Saxon chapel was almost certainly of wood, probably with ventilation ducts or cowls of a shape which may have suggested to the 16th century builders their idea for the dormer roof lights.
1961 Engineering 27 Oct. 552 A new series of rooflights have been designed.
1978 A. Fenton Island Blackhouse 18 All other windows..are fixed roof lights in the thickness of the thatch.
2006 Build It May 75/3 A roof light is fixed and simply allows additional light into the attic roof space.
b. Light admitted to a room, building, or vehicle from above, spec. light which comes through a skylight.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > naturally occurring light > [noun] > light from the sky > coming into a room from above
skylight1632
roof light1856
1856 Times 1 Aug. 9/2 A series of small rooms for small pictures—one series having side light, the other roof light, like the large rooms.
1887 Trans. N.E. Coast Inst. Engineers & Shipbuilders 3 64 It was decided to have a roof of such a type as would permit of a large amount of roof light.
1911 H. G. Tyrrell Treat. Design & Constr. Mill Buildings xiv. 120 Fig. 151 receives roof light entirely through skylights.
1976 Pop. Mech. Oct. 87/3 Super Scoop [sc. a type of rooftop vent], about $43 from Sears, can let in both roof light and air, and is one of an expanding line of van accessories.
2005 A. W. Charleson Struct. as Archit. viii. 168 Roof light entering the full-height central atrium reflects off the two-storey-deep concrete beams that span from diagonally opposite corners.
2.
a. A light attached to the underside of the roof of a vehicle; (in modern use) spec. a small interior light in a motor vehicle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > interior light
roof light1933
courtesy light1959
1883 J. L. Maclean Brit. Railway System ix. 74 Much rough usage in the lamp-room, tells on the fabric of the roof-light, and the glass globes get broken, the tinned work battered out of shape, and the brass and iron mountings worn or destroyed.
1891 Electr. Engineer 30 Oct. 414/2 Roof lights are intended for the cargo spaces in the 'tween decks.
1902 Gen. Rep. Accidents on Railways 1901 64 Damage to Rolling Stock..One roof light broken, mirror broken.
1933 Times 26 Sept. 29/2 The Ten saloon de luxe..has..interior roof light, chromium plated lamps, and improved instrument panel.
1964 Pop. Sci. Nov. 186/2 The Bellel has..Reading lamps on each side of the roof light when any door is opened.
2007 M. Plaut Hack iii. 33 Having written down the cab's medallion number—the number that is all over the cab, on the sides, the license plate, and the roof light—they traced the cab back to its garage the next day.
b. A flashing warning light that projects upwards from the roof of a motor vehicle (esp. an emergency vehicle).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > warning light > flashing on roof
roof light1958
turret-light1972
blues and twos1985
1958 ‘J. Castle’ & A. Hailey Flight into Danger viii. 107 At the turn-off..a police cruiser stood..its roof-light blinking a constant warning.
1977 Daily Tel. 13 Jan. 17/1 An RAF helicopter crew..were guided up a valley in thick fog and darkness by the roof-light of a Land-Rover.
2006 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 15 Sept. 8 A police car flashed its roof lights as a warning.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1763