lucifer

See also: Lucifer, Lúcifer, and lucífer

English

Etymology

Originally a brand name for matches made by Samuel Jones from 1830, soon used generically for self-igniting matches of any brand. From Latin lucifer (“bringer of light”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

lucifer (plural lucifers)

2. (British, archaic) A self-igniting match, i.e. one which could be lit by striking on any surface (as opposed to safety matches which only light against the material on the side of the box).

   Synonym: barnburner (Mid-Atlantic US)

   Antonym: safety match

   • 1915, “Pack up your Troubles”, George Asaf (lyrics), Felix Powell (music):

     While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag, / Smile, boys, that’s the style

   • [1996 November, J. E. Lighter, “Blowing Smoke”, in The Atlantic‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 September 2015:

     In the era of Twain and Grant cigar-smoking paraphernalia consisted mainly of a cigar cutter; the cigar itself was lit with a lucifer (safety match).]

Descendants

• → Dutch: lucifer

Anagrams

• ferulic

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English lucifer, from Latin lūcifer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈly.siˌfɛr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lu‧ci‧fer

Noun

lucifer m (plural lucifers, diminutive lucifertje n)

1. match (device to make fire)

Synonyms

• (Flanders, dialectal) stekske

Derived terms

• luciferboekje
• luciferdoos
• luciferkop
• strijklucifer
• veiligheidslucifer

Latin

Etymology

From lūx (“light”) +‎ -fer (“-carrying”). Compare Old Armenian լուսաւոր (lusawor) and Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɫuː.kɪ.fɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈluː.t͡ʃi.fer]

Adjective

lūcifer (feminine lūcifera, neuter lūciferum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)

1. light-bringing

Declension

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er).

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	lūcifer	lūcifera	lūciferum		lūciferī	lūciferae	lūcifera
genitive	lūciferī	lūciferae	lūciferī		lūciferōrum	lūciferārum	lūciferōrum
dative	lūciferō	lūciferae	lūciferō		lūciferīs
accusative	lūciferum	lūciferam	lūciferum		lūciferōs	lūciferās	lūcifera
ablative	lūciferō	lūciferā	lūciferō		lūciferīs
vocative	lūcifer	lūcifera	lūciferum		lūciferī	lūciferae	lūcifera

Descendants

• → Catalan: lucífer
• → English: lucifer
  • → Dutch: lucifer
• → Spanish: lucífero
• Romanian: luceafăr

Noun

lūcifer m (genitive lūciferī); second declension

1. alternative letter-case form of Lūcifer

Declension

Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er).

	singular	plural
nominative	lūcifer	lūciferī
genitive	lūciferī	lūciferōrum
dative	lūciferō	lūciferīs
accusative	lūciferum	lūciferōs
ablative	lūciferō	lūciferīs
vocative	lūcifer	lūciferī

References

• “lucifer”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “lucifer”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “lucifer”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “lucifer”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎^[2]
• “lucifer”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “lucifer”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray