sunbeam

Meaning

1. A visible, narrow, and intense (relative to ambient light) ray of sunlight.
2. (colloquial) 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.
3. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Curetis.
4. Any hummingbird of the genus Aglaeactis.
5. Synonym of sunshine (“ironic form of address to an inferior or troublemaker”)

Synonyms

sunray

sunlight

sunshine

sun

☀️

ray of sun at dawn

day light

sun-ray

heat

solar light

rainbow

🌈

solar

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: sonnebeem

Inherited from Old English: sunnbēam

In summary

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