Meaning

noun a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance

noun a radio station that broadcasts a directional signal for navigational purposes

noun a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships

originFrom Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0