light

Definitions · Examples · Pronunciations · Etymologies · Related · Statistics · Comments (2) ·

“

* Watch the light: Not only refers to the quantity of light, but also how the light is arranged.

—Esato discussion forum

View all »
Definitions (305)

American Heritage Dictionary (80)

noun Physics Electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength in the range from about 4,000 (violet) to about 7,700 (red) angstroms and may be perceived by the normal unaided human eye.
noun Physics Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.
noun The sensation of perceiving light; brightness: a sudden light that made me blink.

77 more from this dictionary »

WordNet (47)

any device serving as a source of illumination
a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures
merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
public awareness
mental understanding as an enlightening experience
a particular perspective or aspect of a situation
a visual warning signal
an illuminated area
a divine presence believed by Quakers to enlighten and guide the soul
a person regarded very fondly
(physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
having abundant light or illumination
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
make lighter or brighter
begin to smoke
alight from (a horse)
to come to rest, settle
fall to somebody by assignment or lot
cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
characterized by or emitting light
casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior
(used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent
(used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency
(of sleep) easily disturbed
demanding little effort; not burdensome
having relatively few calories
easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned
of comparatively little physical weight or density
designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight
psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles
not great in degree or quantity or number
(physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average
of little intensity or power or force
moving easily and quickly; nimble
of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment
(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
silly or trivial
intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound
having little importance
(used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
marked by temperance in indulgence
very thin and insubstantial
weak and likely to lose consciousness
with few burdens

View all »
Examples (50)

He never went up that staircase in the dark--and a light was a luxury not to be thought of--without imagining all manner of horrors which he might see at the top. — Seven Little People and their Friends
If, for instance, our light is a Welsbach burner, giving an intense and comparatively white light, we will find that a normal negative will print too flat if exposed at one foot. — Bromide Printing and Enlarging A Practical Guide to the Making of Bromide Prints by Contact and Bromide Enlarging by Daylight and Artificial Light, With the Toning of Bromide Prints and Enlargements
If the light is apparently evenly diffused it is too weak. — Bromide Printing and Enlarging A Practical Guide to the Making of Bromide Prints by Contact and Bromide Enlarging by Daylight and Artificial Light, With the Toning of Bromide Prints and Enlargements
A peasant woman in Mecklenburg who ventured to sleep without a light was attacked by an elf-woman. — The Science of Fairy Tales An Inquiry into Fairy Mythology
It must have been strangely long, too; for the light was as strong as it had ever been at noon in this dim cell. — The Hour and the Man, An Historical Romance

More examples »

Stats

This word has been looked up 309 times.

Photos from

Add a related word »
Related

Used in the Same Context

fire · air · line · sound · power · shadow · eye · sun · place · color

Word Family

light: lighting · lights · lit · lighted

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (9)

American Heritage Dictionary (2)

Middle English, from Old English lēoht, līht; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.
Middle English, from Old English lēoht, līht; see leg^wh- in Indo-European roots.

Century Dictionary (7)

from Middle English light, liht, lyht, liʒt, from Anglo-Saxon leóht, lēht, līht = Old Saxon lioht = OFries. liacht = Dutch ligt, licht = Middle Low German Low German licht = Old High German lioht, Middle High German lieht, German licht = Gothic (Moesogothic) *liuhts (evidenced by its deriv. liuhtjan, shine: see light, v.), light, bright; with orig. past participle formative -th (Anglo-Saxon usually -d (English -d, -ed), after h usually -t), from Teutonic √ luh, be light, whence also leóht, n. (see light, n.), leóma, gleam (see leam), līget, lēgetu, lightning (see lait), līg, lēg, a flame (see lay, low), līxan, līcsan, liéxan, shine, glitter, and other Teutonic forms; a wide-spread Indo-European root: = L. √ luc, shine, in lux (luc-), light, lucēre, be light (see lucent), lucidus, light, clear (see lucid), lumen, light (see lume, loom, luminous, illumine, etc.), luna, the moon (see luna, lunar, etc.); = Greek √ λυκ, shine, in λευκός, light, bright, white (see leucous, and words in leuco-), λεύσσ, σ1ειν, see, ἀμφιλύκη, twilight; cf. Irish lōche, lightning, lōn, gleam, Gaelic leus, light, lō, lā, daylight, lōchran, a light, lamp, Welsh llug, light; Old Bulgarian lucha, beam of light, luna, the moon; = Sanskrit √ ruch, shine. Hence light, v., lighten, enlighten, etc.; but light, n., is of different terminal formation: see light, n.
from Middle English lighten, lichten, lihten, lyhten, liʒten, from Anglo-Saxon ly¯htan, līhtan, leóhtan, shine, lighten (also in comp. ālīhtan, inlīhtan, onlīhtan, gelīhtan, merged in obsolete English alight, v., light, illuminate) (= Old Saxon liohtian, liuhtian, OFries. lichta, ligta = Dutch lichten = Middle Low German lichten, lechten, Low German lichten = Old High German Middle High German liuhten, German leuchten = Gothic (Moesogothic) liuhtjan, be light, be bright, shine), from leóht, light, bright: see light, a.
from Middle English light, licht, liʒt, liht, from Anglo-Saxon leóht = Old Saxon lioht = OFries. liacht = Dutch licht = Middle Low German Low German licht = Old High German lioht, Middle High German lieht, German licht = Gothic (Moesogothic) liuhath (liuhad-), light; with orig. noun-formative -ath, -th (the Scandinavian forms, Icelandic Ijōs = Swedish ljus = Danish lys, having a different formative -s), from the Teutonic √ luh, be light: see light, a. The noun light is thus of different formation from the adjective light, though from the same root.
from Middle English light, licht, liʒt, lyht, liht, from Anglo-Saxon leóht, rarely lēht, līht (orig. līht), = Old Saxon *līht (in comp. līhtlīk, light) = OFries. līcht = Dutch ligt = Middle Low German līcht = Old High German lihti, līht, Middle High German līhte, German leicht = Icelandic lēttr = Swedish lätt = Danish let = Gothic (Moesogothic) leihts, light; perhaps orig. *linht, *lenht (with orig. past participle suffix -t), akin to Lithuanian lengwus = Latin lěvis, earlier lēvis, orig. *lenhvis (?) = Greek ἐλαχύς = Sanskrit raghu, light. From the L: form levis are ult. English levity, levitate, leaven, lever, levee, levee, levy, levy, alleviate, allege, etc.
from Middle English lighte, lihte, from Anglo-Saxon leóhte (= Old Saxon liohto = Dutch ligt = Middle Low German lichte = Old High German līhto, Middle High German līhte, German leicht = Danish let = Swedish lätt), lightly, from leóht, light: see light, a.
from Middle English lighten, lychten, liʒten, lihten, lyhten, make light (less heavy), from Anglo-Saxon līhtan (also in comp. alīhtan, gelīhtan, later English alight), make light, alleviate, leóhtian, become light (= OFries. lichta, ligta = Dutch ligten = Middle Low German Low German lichten = Old High German līhtan, līhtjan, Middle High German līhten, German lichten (after Low German) = Icelandic lētta = Swedish lätta = Danish lette, make light, lift, disburden), from leóht, līht, light: see light, a. Cf. alight. Cf. also light.
from Middle English lighten, lichten, lyghten, liʒten, lyʒten, līhten, from Anglo-Saxon līhtan, ly¯htan (also in comp. ālīhtan, gelīhtan, later English alight), dismount (from a horse), = Icelandic lētta, dismount, stop, halt, literally make light, relieve of a burden, a particular use of līhtan, make light: see light, v. Cf. alight.

Pronunciations
Record your own »

/laɪt/

by American Heritage

Charts

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word many times a day.

light

View all »
Definitions (305)

American Heritage Dictionary (80)

Century Dictionary (170)

GNU Webster's 1913 (8)

WordNet (47)

Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the Same Context

Word Family

Etymologies (9)

American Heritage Dictionary (2)

Century Dictionary (7)

Pronunciations
Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

light

View all » Definitions (305)

View all » Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word » Related

antonyms:

synonyms:

cross references:

synonyms:

Etymologies (9)

Pronunciations Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

View all »
Definitions (305)

View all »
Examples (50)

stop updating
On Twitter

Add a related word »
Related

Pronunciations
Record your own »