alight

¹ American  

[uh-lahyt] / əˈlaɪt /

verb (used without object)

alighted, alit, alighting

1. to dismount from a horse, descend from a vehicle, etc.

2. to settle or stay after descending.

   The bird alighted on the tree.

3. to encounter or notice something accidentally.

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alight ² American  

[uh-lahyt] / əˈlaɪt /

adverb

1. provided with light; lighted up.

2. on fire; burning.

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alight ¹ British  

/ əˈlaɪt /

verb

1. (usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from)

   to alight from a taxi

2. to come to rest; settle; land

   a thrush alighted on the wall

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alight ² British  

/ əˈlaɪt /

adjective

1. burning; on fire

2. illuminated; lit up

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Etymology

Origin of alight¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English alighten, Old English ālīhtan; equivalent to a- ³ + light ³ )

Origin of alight²

First recorded before 1000; originally past participle of alight “to light up,” Middle English alihten, Old English onlīhtan, equivalent to a- ¹ + light ¹ )

Example Sentences

Here countless celebrities and industry titans alighted as they came, or returned, to L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Residents fear the fire will burn all night - and early evening pictures from the scene showed the buildings still alight.

From BBC

At the peak of the fire, 100 containers were alight in four different compartments of the ship, according to Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Adam VanGerpen.

From Los Angeles Times

They say that this White Dwarf wrapped itself in a blanket of stolen gas that caught alight quickly, sending a pulse of pressure into the core of the star that ignited the supernova.

From Space Scoop

A mum and her three children were murdered in a fire after her sister's "jealous" ex-partner broke into their home and set it alight, a trial has heard.

From BBC

Related Words

• descend
• disembark
• get off
• perch
• touch down