English
range light
From range + light.
Proto-Germanic *hringaz ‘ring, circle’
Frankish *hring
Old French rang ‘a rank, row’
Old French rengier ‘to range, rank’
Middle English rengen
English range
Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘to shine’
…
Proto-Germanic *leuhtą
Proto-West Germanic *leuht ‘light’
Old English lēoht
Middle English light ‘light, illumination’
English light
Today it means
noun One of the lights placed in line, usually at or near a lighthouse, to direct the course of a ship through a channel.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “range light”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / range light