sunbeam

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sunbeam^¹

Where it comes from

From Middle English sonnebem, sonnebeem, from Old English sunnbēam, sunnebēam (“sunbeam”), equivalent to sun + beam.

noun sunbeams

A ray of sunlight; especially, a demarcated, narrow, and intense (relative to ambient light) ray of sunlight (as revealed by, for example, its diffraction among dust particles). Near-synonym: sunshaft (narrow, demarcated)
Similar: sunshaft
Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Curetis.
Any hummingbird of the genus Aglaeactis.
UK Synonym of sunshine (“ironic form of address to an inferior or troublemaker”). DOCTOR: You seem to be our best bet so far, don't you think so, Mel? Mel? Where's Mel? DEPUTY: No, no, no, sunbeam. You're coming with us.
Australia, colloquial, dated An item of cutlery or crockery laid out on a table, but not used, and which can be returned to the drawer without being washed.

Sunbeam^²

proper noun

An unincorporated community in Moffat County, Colorado, United States.
An unincorporated community in Mercer County, Illinois, United States.
An unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States.

Translations

Every language

noun narrow, intense ray of sunlight

Español	rayo de sol
한국어	햇빛 haetbit, 일광 ilgwang
日本語	日光 nikkō
中文	陽光 /阳光 yángguāng, 日光 rìguāng
हिन्दी	सूर्यकिरण sūryakiraṇ
Kiswahili	kianga
Português	raio solar, raio de sol
Français	rayon de soleil
Deutsch	Sonnenstrahl
Italiano	raggio di sole
Ελληνικά	ηλιαχτίδα iliachtída
Română	rază de soare
Русский	со́лнечный луч sólnečnyj luč

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MLA

"sunbeam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sunbeam. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sunbeam. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sunbeam

Chicago

"sunbeam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sunbeam.

BibTeX

@misc{sunbeam_2026,
  title = {sunbeam},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sunbeam},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}