Cresset

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cresset \Cres"set\ (kr?s"s?t), n. [OF. crasset, cresset, sort of
     lamp or torch; perh. of Dutch or German origin, and akin to
     E. cruse, F. creuset crucible, E. crucible.]
     1. An open frame or basket of iron, filled with combustible
        material, to be burned as a beacon; an open lamp or
        firrepan carried on a pole in nocturnal processions.


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              Starry lamps and blazing cressets, fed
              With naphtha and asphaltus.           --Milton.
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              As a cresset true that darts its length
              Of beamy luster from a tower of strength.
                                                    --Wordsworth.
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     2. (Coopering) A small furnace or iron cage to hold fire for
        charring the inside of a cask, and making the staves
        flexible. --Knight.
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