alight

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ə-līt', IPA(key): /əˈlaɪt/ Rhymes: -aɪt === Etymology 1 === 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”). ==== Verb ==== alight (third-person singular simple present alights, present participle alighting, simple past and past participle alighted or alit) (transitive, also figuratively, obsolete) To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve. Synonym: (archaic) alighten (intransitive) 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. Synonyms: (archaic) alighten, (archaic) light, disembark, debark, get off, get out, unlight (also figuratively) Often followed by at, on, or upon: of something aloft: to descend and settle; to land, to lodge, to rest. (archaic) To come down or go down; to descend. Often followed by on or upon: of a blow, something thrown, etc.: to land heavily. (figuratively) Often followed by on or upon: to find by accident; to chance upon, to come upon. (obsolete) To arrive. ===== Derived terms ===== alighting (adjective, noun) alightment ===== Related terms ===== alighten ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === 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”). ==== Verb ==== alight (third-person singular simple present alights, present participle alighting, simple past and past participle alit or alighted) (transitive, also figuratively, archaic) To cast light on (something); to illuminate, to light up. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:illuminate Antonym: darken To set light to (something); to set (something) on fire; to ignite, to light. ===== Conjugation ===== ===== Derived terms ===== alighting (noun) ===== Translations ===== ==== Adjective ==== alight (not comparable) Burning, lit, on fire. Often followed by with: shining with light; luminous, radiant; also, brightly coloured; vivid. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shining Antonyms: see Thesaurus:dark Of an electrical light source: switched on and emitting light. (figuratively) Aglow with activity or emotion. ===== Usage notes ===== The adjective is used only as a predicative. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Adverb ==== alight (not comparable) (also figuratively) Chiefly in set alight: in flames, on fire; aflame. ===== Derived terms ===== set alight set the world alight ===== Translations ===== === References ===