photobeam

P3H4O1T1O1B3E1A1M3

noun

A beam of light whose interruption triggers a warning or a mechanism (such as a door).

OriginEnglish beam ← Middle English bem ← Old English bēam →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounphotobeam (plural photobeams)

plural photobeams · alternative photo beam

  1. A beam of light whose interruption triggers a warning or a mechanism (such as a door).

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Proto-Germanic*bagmaz?
  9. Proto-West Germanic*baum
  10. Old Englishbēam
  11. Middle Englishbem
  12. Englishbeam
  13. Englishphotobeam

From photo- + beam.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

photobeam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photobeam

MLA

“photobeam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photobeam. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photobeam,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photobeam.

Source: photobeam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.