alight
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alight¹
- /əˈlaɪt/ US, UK
Rhymes with -aɪt
Where it comes from
From Middle English alighten (“to descend from a place: to dismount, get off; to descend to a place: to arrive or stop (at a place); to land; to drop; to attack; of lightning: to strike; to leap on to, mount; to descend in rank; to cause (someone) to lose rank; to come forth, spring from; to alleviate, relieve; (Christianity) of Jesus: to come down to earth from heaven, become incarnate; to descend (to hell); of the Holy Spirit, angels, miracles, etc.: to descend (from heaven); to descend (upon someone); to appear in a place”) [and other forms], from a merger of:
* Old English ālīhtan (“to alight, dismount”), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to descend, alight, light; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“not heavy, light”); and
* Old English ġelīhtan (“to descend; to come down, dismount; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), from ġe- (intensifying prefix, attached to verbs to indicate completeness or perfection) + līhtan, līehtan (see above).
The English word is analyzable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to ease, lighten; to take off; to unload; to dismount; (archaic) to come down, land; to dismount”).
Cognates
* Middle Low German erlichten (“to lighten”)
* Old High German gilīhten (“to make less heavy, lighten”) (Middle High German gelīhten); Old High German irlīhten (“to alleviate”) (Middle High German erlīhten, modern German erleichten)
verb alights · alighting · alighted · alit
- To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve.
- Often followed by from or off: to get off an animal which one has been riding; to dismount; to descend or exit from a vehicle; hence, to complete one's journey; to stop. He alighted from his horse.
- Often followed by at, on, or upon: of something aloft: to descend and settle; to land, to lodge, to rest. A flying bird alights upon a tree.
- To come down or go down; to descend.
- Often followed by on or upon: of a blow, something thrown, etc.: to land heavily. But ſtorms of Stones, from the proud Temple's height, / Pour down, and on our batter'd Helms alight.
- Often followed by on or upon: to find by accident; to chance upon, to come upon.
- To arrive. Madam, heres a pretty hanſome ſtripling, nevv alight, / Enquires for Don Antonio.
alight²
- /əˈlaɪt/ US, UK
Rhymes with -aɪt
Where it comes from
The verb is probably derived partly:
* from Middle English alighten (“to kindle, light, set on fire; to begin burning; to become bright, shine; to arouse, rouse, stir; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually, illuminate”) [and other forms], from Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (“to light up; enlighten”) (perhaps modelled after Latin illūmināre, the present active infinitive of illūminō (“to brighten, illuminate, light up”)), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to glow, to shine; to illuminate, to light”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“to see; to shine; bright”)); and
* from Middle English onlighten (“to cause (something) to shine; to clarify; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually”) [and other forms], from Old English onlīhtan, a variant of inlīhtan (“to give light to, brighten, illuminate; to cause to shine; to shine; (figuratively) to give clear sight; to clear a mental fog, enlighten”), from Proto-Germanic *inliuhtijaną (“to enlighten, illumine”), from *in (“in; into”) + *liuhtijaną (“to give light, shine”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-; see above); and
* from later uses of alight (adjective).
The English word is analysable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to start (a fire); to burn, set fire to; to become ignited, take fire; to provide light, illuminate; to show the way by means of a light”).
The adjective and adverb are derived from Late Middle English alight (adjective) [and other forms], from Old English ālīht, ālȳht, a past participle form of Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (verb) (see above); but have also been subsequently interpreted as a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’, used to show a condition, manner, or state) + light (“not dark or obscure, bright, clear; highly luminous”).
Cognates
* German erleuchten (“to light up, illuminate”)
verb alights · alighting · alit · alighted
- To cast light on (something); to illuminate, to light up.
- To set light to (something); to set (something) on fire; to ignite, to light. The officer hauing by this time alighted his lampe, entred into the roome to ſee him, vvhom he accounted to be dead, […]
adjective
- Burning, lit, on fire. The burning embers and the dry wind quickly set the whole neighbourhood alight.
- Often followed by with: shining with light; luminous, radiant; also, brightly coloured; vivid.
- Of an electrical light source: switched on and emitting light.
- Aglow with activity or emotion. Her face was alight with happiness.
adverb
- Chiefly in set alight: in flames, on fire; aflame. Each chapel had its saintly shrine, hung around with offerings; its picture above the altar, although closely veiled, if by any painter of renown; and its hallowed tapers, burning continually, to set alight the devotion of the worshippers.
