chamber lamp

noun

An oil lamp designed for indoor use.

Meanings

nounchamber lamp (plural chamber lamps)

plural chamber lamps

  1. An oil lamp designed for indoor use.

    A chamber lamp burned in the fire place: by this light, as he leaned against the feet of the bed, he perceived his uncle slept.

    1828, Thomas Skinner Surr, George Barnwell: A Novel - Volume 1, page 168
    3 more examples

    The waiter had also left upon the hearth a porcelain tower-shaped construction, through the loopholes of which struggled a feeble light — in other words a French chamber lamp.

    1840, The Philadelphia Visitor - Volume 6, page 270

    Olive oil lamps are commercially available today. I have two. One is called an olive oil chamber lamp and is from Lehman's in Ohio. It is a very practical jarlike lamp with a handle, which makes it easy to move from room to room.

    2011, Carol Firenze, The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil, →ISBN, page 42

    When I wished to expedite their drying, I sometimes laid them on a small metal plate, heated over a chamber lamp, or larger plates heated by the fire, and at other times I submitted them to the heat of an oven.

    2014, Thomas Hancock, Personal Narrative of the Origin and Progress of the Caoutchouc or India-Rubber Manufactue in England, →ISBN, page 98
  2. An indicator light associated with a chamber.

    Position the battery toggle switch (10) figure 4-5 to BATTERY. If the fog chamber lamp illuminates, the indicator is operational.

    1984, DS and GS Maintenance Manual, page 4-16
    2 more examples

    When the battery is inserted into the MH26/26a charger properly (it's impossible to insert it incorrectly), the battery chamber lamp (labeled L and R) above each chamber will flash slowly while the battery is being replenished.

    2014, David Busch, David Busch's Compact Field Guide for the Nikon D4/D4s, →ISBN

    In a classic example (e.g., Skinner 1938; Herrick et al. 1959), a rat's lever presses produce food when a chamber lamp is turned on, while presses in the absence of the light produce nothing.

    2015, Florence D. DiGennaro Reed, Derek D. Reed, Autism Service Delivery, →ISBN, page 26
Cite this entry
APA

chamber lamp. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chamber%20lamp

MLA

“chamber lamp.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chamber%20lamp. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chamber lamp,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chamber%20lamp.

Source: chamber lamp on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.