Etymologically
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spotlight

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/ (UK); /ˈspɑtˌlaɪt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from English spot + light (both nouns).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A source of artificial light casting a narrow, intense beam, also written spot-light: 1875, originally a piece of theatrical equipment, in Etymonline.[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1904, the date of the OED's first quotation for an auxiliary lamp on a motor vehicle.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, the focus of public attention, is attested from 1916.[2] The verb is attested by 1907 in Etymonline, and in the OED from 1923, to light with a spotlight and figuratively to draw attention to;[2][4] a chiefly American sense, to hunt game by spotlight, is from 1934.[4]

Timeline

  • 1875 – a theatrical spotlight.[2]
  • 1904 – a lamp on a vehicle.[4][3]
  • 1907 – to spotlight.[2]
  • 1916 – the focus of attention.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A strong beam of light that lights up a small area, especially a performer on a stage, or the lamp producing it.
  2. The spotlight: public attention or prominence.

Verb

  1. To light up with a spotlight.
  2. To draw attention to; to highlight.

Word family

  • spotlighter
  • unspotlighted

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press