Powerful lights with reflectors that produce a strong, concentrated beam that can be moved around to search for things or illuminate large areas.
A compound word from 'search' (from Old French 'cerchier') and 'light' (from Old English 'leaht'). The term became common in the early 1900s as powerful artificial lights were developed.
During World War II, searchlights were crucial for spotting enemy aircraft at night, and operators would coordinate multiple lights to 'cage' a bomber in their intersecting beams—it was teamwork done at the speed of light.
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