Meanings
plural fanals
- obsoleteA lighthouse
- obsoleteThe beacon inside a lighthouse
In order to assemble our full force in due time, fanals should be erected […] and kindled in such a manner as to direct the movements of the troops to any point according to an order.
1811, Wilhelm Müller, The elements of the science of war, page 4871 more example
On the right hand, as you enter the port, there is an elegant fanal, or lighthouse, kept in good repair: but in all the charts of this coast which I have seen, this lanthorn is laid down to the westward of the harbour; […]
1764 January 20, Tobias Smollett, “Letter, XIV”, in Travels Through France and Italy, published 1766Synonyms: lantern
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe beacon inside a lighthouse
Origin
- Ancient Greekφανάριον
- Frenchfanal
- Englishfanal
Borrowed from French fanal, from Ancient Greek φανάριον (phanárion).
More words from French, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
fanal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fanal
“fanal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fanal. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fanal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fanal.
Source: fanal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.