noun
- a metal container holding oil or pitch burned as a torch for lighting
Usage: archaic
Examples
- The medieval castle’s walls were lit by iron cressets filled with burning oil.
- Guards carried cressets to illuminate the dark corridors at night.
- The beacon tower used large cressets to signal ships at sea.
- Ancient cressets were often mounted on poles or brackets.
- The fortress relied on cressets for outdoor lighting before electricity.