English

light bulb

From light + bulb First attested in 1885.

A compound of light + bulb

Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘to shine’

…

Proto-Germanic *leuhtą

Proto-West Germanic *leuht ‘light’

Old English lēoht

Middle English light ‘light, illumination’

English light

Ancient Greek βολβός ‘plant with round swelling on underground stem’

Latin bulbus ‘bulb, onion’

Middle English bulb

English bulb

first attested First attested in 1885 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

From light + bulb First attested in 1885.

noun An evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament which is heated by electrical resistance to produce light.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / light bulb