“刹车灯;制动灯”:汽车(或摩托车等车辆)在踩下刹车时会亮起的后部红灯,用于提醒后方车辆你正在减速或停车。(也常泛指车辆尾部的刹车指示灯这一系统)
/ˈbreɪk ˌlaɪts/
The brake lights came on as the driver slowed down.
司机减速时,刹车灯亮了。
In the rain, I followed the car ahead by watching its brake lights flare at every sudden stop.
下雨天里,我通过观察前车每次突然停车时亮起的刹车灯来保持跟车距离。
brake 最初与“break(打破)”同源,来自古英语 brecan(打破、折断),后来引申出“使运动停下/减速”的含义;light(s) 来自古英语 lēoht(光、灯)。合起来 brake lights 就是“用于提示制动的灯”。