flambeau
/ˈflam-ˌbō/ (ame, mw)
flambeau — noun
1. A long-handled torch that burns with a bright flame, carried in processions, par
A long-handled torch that burns with a bright flame, carried in processions, parades, or ceremonies to provide light or to create a dramatic, celebratory effect.
The carnival dancers each carried a flambeau as they moved through the streets at midnight.
carnival / procession context for flambeau
The palace guard held a flambeau high to light the hallway for the visiting ambassador.
At the town festival, the mayor lit a large ceremonial flambeau in the central square.
The museum exhibition showed how flambeaux were used in eighteenth-century royal processions.
A row of burning flambeaux lined the path leading up to the ancient temple entrance.
- torch
The general, everyday word for a portable light source with a flame. Flambeau is more formal and specifically ceremonial.
- cresset
A historical metal container that holds burning material, often mounted on a wall or pole. Even rarer than flambeau and limited to historical writing.
- brand
An archaic term for a piece of burning wood used as a torch. Not used in modern English.
用法筆記
The word flambeau is borrowed from French and is much less common than the everyday word torch. It appears most often in descriptions of historical ceremonies, carnival processions (particularly Mardi Gras in Louisiana), or formal pageants. The plural flambeaux (pronounced /flæmˈboʊz/) follows the French pattern and is frequently used in written English alongside the Anglicised flambeaus.