electric-discharge lamp
A lamp which produces light when electric current flows through a vapor or a gas; may be designated by the gas filling which is responsible for the major part of the radiation (e.g., mercury lamp, neon lamp, etc.), by the physical dimensions or operating parameters (e.g., short-arc lamp, high-pressure lamp, etc.), or by its application (e.g., black-light lamp, bactericidal lamp, etc.).
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.