fanal

See also: Fanal and fánál

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French fanal, from Ancient Greek φανάριον (phanárion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfeɪnəl/

Noun

fanal (plural fanals)

1. (obsolete) A lighthouse
2. (obsolete) The beacon inside a lighthouse

   Synonym: lantern

   • 1764 January 20, Tobias Smollett, “Letter, XIV”, in Travels Through France and Italy‎^[1], published 1766:

     On the right hand, as you enter the port, there is an elegant fanal, or lighthouse, kept in good repair: but in all the charts of this coast which I have seen, this lanthorn is laid down to the westward of the harbour; […]

   • 1811, Wilhelm Müller, The elements of the science of war, page 487:

     In order to assemble our full force in due time, fanals should be erected […] and kindled in such a manner as to direct the movements of the troops to any point according to an order.

References

• “fanal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• NAFAL

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan fanar, from Ancient Greek φανάριον (phanárion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [fəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [faˈnal]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al

Noun

fanal m (plural fanals)

1. lantern, streetlight
2. (usually in the plural) balloon plant

Derived terms

• fanaler
• fanalera
• fanalet

Further reading

• “fanal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “fanal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “fanal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “fanal”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

French

Alternative forms

• phanal (archaic)

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek φανάριον (phanárion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.nal/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

fanal m (plural fanaux)

1. lantern

   Synonym: lanterne

2. (nautical) beacon, lamp (of a lighthouse); (by extension) lighthouse

   Synonym: phare

3. (rail transport) headlight

Descendants

• → English: fanal
• → German: Fanal
• → Romanian: fanal

Further reading

• “fanal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• flâna

Maltese

Alternative forms

• fanar

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian fanale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faˈnaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

fanal m (plural fanali)

1. lantern, lamp
2. lighthouse

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French fanal.

Noun

fanal n (plural fanale)

1. lantern

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	fanal	fanalul	fanale	fanalele
genitive-dative	fanal	fanalului	fanale	fanalelor
vocative	fanalule		fanalelor

Spanish

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek φανάριον (phanárion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faˈnal/ [faˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fa‧nal

Noun

fanal m (plural fanales)

1. (nautical) beacon
2. bell glass
3. headlight

Further reading

• “fanal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025