Flashlights

/ˈflæʃlaɪts/ noun

Definition

Portable electric lights powered by batteries, designed to be held in the hand. Battery-operated illumination devices for temporary lighting needs.

Etymology

Originally called 'electric hand torches', the name 'flashlight' came from early versions that could only produce brief flashes due to weak batteries. The continuous light capability came later.

Kelly Says

The first flashlights were so unreliable they earned the name because they literally only flashed briefly before dimming! Modern LED flashlights are thousands of times more efficient than those early carbon-battery models from the 1890s.

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