noun
Archaic noun for a light or lamp. Not used in modern Japanese; encountered only in historical texts or poetry. The modern equivalent is 灯 (あかり) or ランプ.
古い和歌に「とぼし」という言葉が灯火の意味で使われている。
In old waka poetry, the word とぼし is used to mean a light or lamp.
The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 点火 (literally 'light fire') and 灯 ('lamp') are conventional spellings for this archaic word.