ray of light

Noun

ray of light (plural rays of light)

1. A path that a photon or a group of photons takes through space, visible as a column of light.

   Synonyms:

   lightray

2. (idiomatic) An inspiring or enlightening person or thing.
   • I think he was somewhat lost for a political position - a simple conservatism did not attract him - and I make the guess that Arnold had been a spar that he got hold of as he struggled to find a political position. I was certainly in that position, having been persuaded by Anderson, especially at...2009, D.M. Armstrong, Quadrant, November 2009, No. 461 (Volume LIII, Number 11), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 5
   • A ray of light amid all this nonsense was Gwyn Topham's piece in the Guardian, which was timely, measured, accurate and of appropriate tone. That this single report stood out so clearly as an exemplar is a scathing comment in itself on the volumes of drivel surrounding it.2020 August 26, Nigel Harris, “Comment Special: Catastrophe at Carmont”, in Rail, page 4