Welsbach burner

[ welz-bak, -bahk; German vels-bahkh ]

Trademark.

1. a brand of gaslight consisting essentially of a Bunsen burner on which an incombustible mantle Welsbach mantle composed of thoria and some ceria becomes brilliantly incandescent when exposed to flame.

Welsbach burner

/ ˈwɛlzbæk; ˈvɛlsbax /

noun

1. a type of gaslight in which a mantle containing thorium and cerium compounds becomes incandescent when heated by a gas flame

Word History and Origins

Origin of Welsbach burner¹

C19: named after Carl Auer, Baron von Welsbach (1858–1929), Austrian chemist, who invented it

Example Sentences

When Neale turned out his Welsbach burner and rolled into bed, he encountered a strange, new sensation, an immense relief just to lay himself down, and to have darkness about him.

From Project Gutenberg

Describe the structure of an ordinary kerosene lamp-burner, an argand burner, a Welsbach burner.

From Project Gutenberg

If, for instance, our light is a Welsbach burner, giving an intense and comparatively white light, we will find that a normal negative will print too flat if exposed at one foot.

From Project Gutenberg

After it in strength comes the Welsbach burner, suitable for those having gas in the house.

From Project Gutenberg

This is the case in the familiar Welsbach burner.

From Project Gutenberg