lucifer

plural lucifers

1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of lucifer match, sulfur or phosphorus friction matches.

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

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

   2 more examples

   The invention of the Lucifer Match has brought with it many dangers. In one year, in London, there were published thirty-nine accounts of serious conflagrations through children playing with lucifers, the igniting of the matches, and the careless use of them... To guard against the recurrence of these sad results has been invented "the Safety Match," or a match which cannot ignite by friction with ordinary substances...

   1865, The Domestic Service Guide..., p. 223

   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).

   1996 November 28, J. E. Lighter, “Blowing Smoke”, in The Atlantic, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Sep 2015

1. literaryThe planet Venus as the daystar (the morning star).

   Near-synonyms: Vesper, Hesperus, evening star, Venus

   Synonyms: Phosphorus, Eosphorus, Vesper, Hesperus, evening star, Venus

2. biblicalThe King of Babylon who was compared to the planet Venus in first the Wycliffe version then the King James Version of Isaiah 14:12; it is unclear whether this verse refers to a specific king or to a representation of the entire line of kings of Babylon.
3. Satan, the Devil.

   Synonyms: Aduwallah, Adversary, Al-Shaytaan, Antichrist, archfiend, Ash-Shaytan, Azazel, Beast