sun-lamp

A patient uses a sun-lamp for light therapy.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Ultraviolet lamp: A "sun-lamp" is an electric lamp that produces ultraviolet radiation, used primarily for therapeutic purposes (e.g., to treat skin conditions or to provide artificial sunlight for vitamin D synthesis).
   • High-intensity lamp for photography or film: In a technical context, a "sun-lamp" can also refer to a very bright lamp used to simulate sunlight, especially in photography, film, or video production.

Usage Examples

• Medical context:
  • The doctor recommended using a sun-lamp for ten minutes daily to help with her vitamin D deficiency. (A device that emits ultraviolet light for health treatment.)
• Photography context:
  • The studio set up a sun-lamp to create a natural-looking daylight effect for the portrait session. (A powerful artificial light source that mimics sunlight.)

Advanced Usage

• "to sit under a sun-lamp": to expose oneself to ultraviolet radiation from a sun-lamp for therapeutic or cosmetic reasons.

  • She sat under a sun-lamp for twenty minutes to treat her psoriasis. (She used the device for medical treatment of a skin condition.)

• "sun-lamp therapy": the medical use of ultraviolet light from a sun-lamp to treat conditions like jaundice in newborns or skin disorders.

  • Sun-lamp therapy is commonly used in phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. (A treatment using artificial ultraviolet light.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sunlamp (n): an alternative spelling, without a hyphen, meaning the same device.
  • The clinic has several sunlamps for patient use. (The medical facility has multiple ultraviolet lamps.)
• Sunlamp treatment (n): a specific therapeutic session using a sun-lamp.
  • Sunlamp treatment can help alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. (A session of exposure to artificial sunlight.)

Synonyms

• Ultraviolet lamp: a lamp that emits ultraviolet light.
• Artificial sunlight lamp: a lamp designed to simulate natural sunlight.
• Phototherapy lamp: a device used in medical phototherapy, often for skin conditions or jaundice.

Related Idioms

• "bask in the glow of a sun-lamp": to enjoy the warmth or light from a sun-lamp, often figuratively.

  • After a long winter, he basked in the glow of a sun-lamp to lift his mood. (He enjoyed the artificial sunlight for comfort or psychological benefit.)

• "sun-lamp tan": a tan obtained from using a sun-lamp rather than natural sunlight.

  • Her sun-lamp tan gave her a healthy glow despite the cold weather. (A tan produced by artificial ultraviolet light.)