light

¹

[ lahyt ]

noun

1. something that makes things visible or affords illumination:

   All colors depend on light.

2. Physics.
   1. Also called lu·mi·nous en·er·gy, electromagnetic radiation to which the organs of sight react, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 700 nanometers and propagated at a speed of 186,282 miles per second (299,972 kilometers per second), considered variously as a wave, a stream of particles, or a quantum phenomenon.
   2. a similar form of radiant energy that does not affect the retina, as ultraviolet or infrared rays.
3. the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of sight.
4. an illuminating agent or source, as the sun, a lamp, or a beacon.
5. the radiance or illumination from a particular source:

   the light of a candle.

6. the illumination from the sun; daylight:

   We awoke at the first light.

7. daybreak or dawn:

   when light appeared in the east.

8. daytime:

   Summer has more hours of light.

9. a particular light or illumination in which an object seen takes on a certain appearance:

   viewing the portrait in dim light.

10. a device for or means of igniting, as a spark, flame, or match:

    Could you give me a light?

11. a traffic light:

    Don't cross till the light changes.

12. the aspect in which a thing appears or is regarded:

    Try to look at the situation in a more cheerful light.

13. the state of being visible, exposed to view, or revealed to public notice or knowledge; limelight:

    Stardom has placed her in the light.

14. a person who is an outstanding leader, celebrity, or example; luminary:

    He became one of the leading lights of Restoration drama.

15. Art.
    1. the effect of light falling on an object or scene as represented in a picture.
    2. one of the brightest parts of a picture.
16. a gleam or sparkle, as in the eyes.
17. a measure or supply of light; illumination:

    The wall cuts off our light.

18. spiritual illumination or awareness; enlightenment.
19. Architecture.
    1. Also called day. one compartment of a window or window sash.
    2. a window, especially a small one.
20. mental insight; understanding.
21. lights, the information, ideas, or mental capacities possessed:

    to act according to one's lights.

22. a lighthouse.
23. Archaic. the eyesight.

adjective

, light·er, light·est.

1. having light or illumination; bright; well-lighted:

   the lightest room in the entire house.

2. pale, whitish, or not deep or dark in color:

   a light blue.

3. (of coffee or tea) containing enough milk or cream to produce a light color.

verb (used with object)

, light·ed or lit, light·ing.

1. to set burning, as a candle, lamp, fire, match, or cigarette; kindle; ignite.
2. to turn or switch on (an electric light):

   One flick of the master switch lights all the lamps in the room.

3. to give light to; furnish with light or illumination:

   The room is lighted by two large chandeliers.

4. to make (an area or object) bright with or as if with light (often followed by up ):

   Hundreds of candles lighted up the ballroom.

5. to cause (the face, surroundings, etc.) to brighten, especially with joy, animation, or the like (often followed by up ):

   A smile lit up her face. Her presence lighted up the room.

6. to guide or conduct with a light:

   a candle to light you to bed.

verb (used without object)

, light·ed or lit, light·ing.

1. to take fire or become kindled:

   The damp wood refused to light.

2. to ignite a cigar, cigarette, or pipe for purposes of smoking (usually followed by up ):

   He took out a pipe and lighted up before speaking.

3. to become illuminated when switched on:

   This table lamp won't light.

4. to become bright, as with light or color (often followed by up ):

   The sky lights up at sunset.

5. to brighten with animation or joy, as the face or eyes (often followed by up ).

light

²

[ lahyt ]

adjective

, light·er, light·est.

1. of little weight; not heavy:

   a light load.

   Antonyms: heavy

2. of little weight in proportion to bulk; of low specific gravity:

   a light metal.

3. of less than the usual or average weight:

   light clothing.

4. weighing less than the proper or standard amount:

   to be caught using light weights in trade.

5. of small amount, force, intensity, etc.: a light rain;

   light trading on the stock market;

   a light rain;

   light sleep.

6. using or applying little or slight pressure or force:

   The child petted the puppy with light, gentle strokes.

7. not distinct; faint:

   The writing on the page had become light and hard to read.

   Synonyms: faded, indistinct

8. easy to endure, deal with, or perform; not difficult or burdensome:

   light duties.

9. not very profound or serious; amusing or entertaining:

   light reading.

10. of little importance or consequence; trivial:

    The loss of his job was no light matter.

    Synonyms: inconsiderable, trifling

11. easily digested:

    light food.

12. low in any substance, as sugar, starch, or tars, that is considered harmful or undesirable:

    light cigarettes.

13. (of alcoholic beverages)
    1. not heavy or strong:

       a light apéritif.

    2. (especially of beer and wine) having fewer calories and usually a lower alcohol content than the standard product.
14. spongy or well-leavened, as cake.
15. (of soil) containing much sand; porous or crumbly.
16. slender or delicate in form or appearance:

    a light, graceful figure.

17. airy or buoyant in movement:

    When she dances, she's as light as a feather.

18. nimble or agile:

    light on one's feet.

19. free from trouble, sorrow, or worry; carefree:

    a light heart.

    Synonyms: happy, cheery

20. cheerful; merry:

    a light laugh.

21. characterized by lack of proper seriousness; frivolous:

    light conduct.

    Synonyms: flighty

22. sexually promiscuous; loose.
23. easily swayed; changeable: volatile:

    a heart light of love;

    His is a life of a man light of purpose.

24. slightly delirious; dizzy:

    I get light on one martini.

25. Military. lightly armed or equipped:

    light cavalry.

26. having little or no cargo, encumbrance, or the like; not burdened:

    a light freighter drawing little water.

27. adapted by small weight or slight build for small loads or swift movement:

    The grocer bought a light truck for deliveries.

28. using small-scale machinery primarily for the production of consumer goods:

    light industry.

29. Nautical. noting any sail of light canvas set only in moderate or calm weather, as a royal, skysail, studdingsail, gaff topsail, or spinnaker.
30. Meteorology. (of wind) having a speed up to 7 miles per hour (3 meters per second). Compare light air, light breeze.
31. Phonetics. (of l- sounds) resembling a front vowel in quality; clear:

    French l is lighter than English l.

32. Prosody. (of a syllable)
    1. unstressed ( def 1 ).
    2. short ( def 17a ).
33. Poker. being in debt to the pot:

    He's a dollar light.

adverb

, light·er, light·est.

1. with few or no suitcases; lightly:

   to travel light.

2. with no load or cargo hauled or carried:

   a locomotive running light to its roundhouse.

noun

1. a light product, as a beer or cigarette.

light

³

[ lahyt ]

verb (used without object)

, light·ed or lit, light·ing.

1. to get down or descend, as from a horse or a vehicle:

   As she lighted, the journalists began shouting questions at her.

2. to come to rest, as on a spot or thing; fall or settle upon; land:

   The bird lighted on the branch. My eye lighted on some friends in the crowd.

3. to come by chance; happen; hit (usually followed by on or upon ):

   to light on a clue; to light on an ideal picnic spot.

4. to fall, as a stroke, weapon, vengeance, or choice, on a place or person:

   The choice lighted upon our candidate.

verb phrase

1. Informal. to leave quickly; depart hurriedly:

   He lit out of here as fast as his legs would carry him.

2. Informal. to make a vigorous physical or verbal attack on:

   He would light into anyone with the slightest provocation.

Light

¹

/ laɪt /

noun

1. God regarded as a source of illuminating grace and strength
2. See Inner Light
   Quakerism short for Inner Light

light

²

/ laɪt /

adjective

1. not heavy; weighing relatively little
2. having relatively low density

   magnesium is a light metal

3. lacking sufficient weight; not agreeing with standard or official weights
4. not great in degree, intensity, or number

   a light eater

   light rain

5. without burdens, difficulties, or problems; easily borne or done

   a light heart

   light work

6. graceful, agile, or deft

   light fingers

7. not bulky or clumsy
8. not serious or profound; entertaining

   light verse

9. without importance or consequence; insignificant

   no light matter

10. frivolous or capricious
11. loose in morals
12. dizzy or unclear

    a light head

13. (of bread, cake, etc) spongy or well leavened
14. easily digested

    a light meal

15. relatively low in alcoholic content

    a light wine

16. (of a soil) having a crumbly texture
17. of a vessel, lorry, etc
    1. designed to carry light loads
    2. not loaded
18. carrying light arms or equipment

    light infantry

19. See heavy
    (of an industry) engaged in the production of small consumer goods using light machinery Compare heavy
20. aeronautics (of an aircraft) having a maximum take-off weight less than 5670 kilograms (12 500 pounds)
21. chem (of an oil fraction obtained from coal tar) having a boiling range between about 100° and 210°C
22. (of a railway) having a narrow gauge, or in some cases a standard gauge with speed or load restrictions not applied to a main line
23. bridge
    1. (of a bid) made on insufficient values
    2. (of a player) having failed to take sufficient tricks to make his contract
24. See light, heavy
    phonetics prosody (of a syllable, vowel, etc) unaccented or weakly stressed; short Compare heavy See also light 1
25. phonetics the least of three levels of stress in an utterance, in such languages as English
26. light on informal.
    light on lacking a sufficient quantity of (something)
27. make light of
    make light of to treat as insignificant or trifling

adverb

1. a less common word for lightly
2. with little equipment, baggage, etc

   to travel light

verb

1. (esp of birds) to settle or land after flight
2. to get down from a horse, vehicle, etc
3. foll byon or upon to come upon unexpectedly
4. to strike or fall on

   the choice lighted on me

light

³

/ laɪt /

noun

1. the medium of illumination that makes sight possible
2. Also calledvisible radiation electromagnetic radiation that is capable of causing a visual sensation and has wavelengths from about 380 to about 780 nanometres
3. not in technical usage electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength outside this range, esp ultraviolet radiation

   ultraviolet light

4. the sensation experienced when electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum falls on the retina of the eye photo-
5. anything that illuminates, such as a lamp or candle
6. See traffic light
   See traffic light
7. a particular quality or type of light

   a good light for reading

8. 1. illumination from the sun during the day; daylight
   2. the time this appears; daybreak; dawn
9. anything that allows the entrance of light, such as a window or compartment of a window
10. the condition of being visible or known (esp in the phrases bring or come to light )
11. an aspect or view

    he saw it in a different light

12. mental understanding or spiritual insight
13. a person considered to be an authority or leader
14. brightness of countenance, esp a sparkle in the eyes
15. 1. the act of igniting or kindling something, such as a cigarette
    2. something that ignites or kindles, esp in a specified manner, such as a spark or flame
    3. something used for igniting or kindling, such as a match
16. See lighthouse
    See lighthouse
17. 1. the effect of illumination on objects or scenes, as created in a picture
    2. an area of brightness in a picture, as opposed to shade
18. See eyesight
    a poetic or archaic word for eyesight
19. the answer to a clue in a crossword
20. in light of
    in light ofin the light of in view of; taking into account; considering
21. light at the end of the tunnel
    light at the end of the tunnel hope for the ending of a difficult or unpleasant situation
22. out like a light
    out like a light quickly asleep or unconscious
23. see the light
    see the light
    1. to gain sudden insight into or understanding of something
    2. to experience a religious conversion
24. see the light
    see the lightsee the light of day
    1. to come into being
    2. to come to public notice
25. shed light on
    shed light onthrow light on to clarify or supply additional information on
26. stand in a person's light
    stand in a person's light to stand so as to obscure a person's vision
27. strike a light
    strike a light
    1. verb to ignite something, esp a match, by friction
    2. interjection an exclamation of surprise

adjective

1. full of light; well-lighted
2. See dark, medium
   (of a colour) reflecting or transmitting a large amount of light Compare medium dark

   light yellow

3. See dark
   phonetics relating to or denoting an ( l ) pronounced with front vowel resonance; clear See dark

   the French "l" is much lighter than that of English

verb

1. to ignite or cause to ignite
2. often foll by up to illuminate or cause to illuminate
3. to make or become cheerful or animated
4. tr to guide or lead by light

light

/ līt /

1. Electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. It is made up of electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between 4 × 10 ^-7 and 7 × 10 ^-7 meters. Light, and all other electromagnetic radiation, travels at a speed of about 299,728 km (185,831 mi) per second in a vacuum.
2. See also photon
3. Electromagnetic energy of a wavelength just outside the range the human eye can detect, such as infrared light and ultraviolet light.
4. See Note at electromagnetic radiation

light

1. The type of electromagnetic wave that is visible to the human eye. Visible light runs along a spectrum from the short wavelengths of violet to the longer wavelengths of red. ( See photon .)

Derived Forms

• ˈlightly, adverb
• ˈlightish, adjective
• ˈlightness, noun
• ˈlightless, adjective
• ˈlightish, adjective

Other Words From

• lightful adjective
• lightful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of light¹

First recorded before 900; (noun and adjective) Middle English; Old English lēoht; cognate with Old Saxon lioht, Old Frisian liacht, Dutch, German licht, Gothic liuhath (noun); akin to Old Norse ljōs (noun), ljōss (adjective), Latin lūx (noun), Greek leukós “bright, white”; (verb) Middle English lighten, Old English līhtan, cognate with Old Saxon liuhtian, Old High German liuhten ( German leuchten ), Gothic liuhtjan

Origin of light²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English lēoht, līht; cognate with Old Frisian li(u)cht, Old Saxon -līht, Dutch licht, German leicht, Old Norse lēttr, Gothic leihts

Origin of light³

First recorded before 900; Middle English lihten, Old English līhtan “to make light, relieve of a weight”; light ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of light¹

Old English lēoht; related to Dutch licht, Gothic leihts

Origin of light²

Old English lēoht; related to Old High German lioht, Gothic liuhath, Latin lux

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bring to light, to discover or reveal:

   The excavations brought to light the remnants of an ancient civilization.

2. come to light, to be discovered or revealed:

   Some previously undiscovered letters have lately come to light.

3. hide one's light under a bushel, to conceal or suppress one's talents or successes.
4. in (the) light of, taking into account; because of; considering:

   It was necessary to review the decision in the light of recent developments.

5. in a good / bad light, under favorable (or unfavorable) circumstances:

   She worshiped him, but then she'd only seen him in a good light.

6. light at the end of the tunnel, a prospect of success, relief, or redemption:

   We haven't solved the problem yet, but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

7. make light of, to treat as unimportant or trivial:

   They made light of our hard-won victory.

8. see the light,
   1. to come into existence or being.
   2. to be made public.
   3. to begin to accept or understand a point of view one formerly opposed:

      Her father was opposed to her attending an out-of-town college, but he finally saw the light.

9. shed / throw light on, to clarify; clear up:

   His deathbed confession threw light on a mystery of long standing.

More idioms and phrases containing light

• begin to see daylight (see the light of day)
• bring to light
• come to light
• go light on
• green light
• heavy (light) heart
• hide one's light
• in a good (bad) light
• in the cold light of day
• in the light of
• lace (light) into
• leading light
• make light of
• many hands make light work
• once over lightly
• out cold (like a light)
• see the light
• shed light on
• sweetness and light
• travel light
• trip the light fantastic

Example Sentences

For example, you could make a routine that turns off your lights, plays relaxing music, and locks your doors when you say, “Alexa, goodnight.”

From TechCrunch

They were each sent a package with a laptop, microphone, ring light, and high resolution camera to shoot themselves during the show—essentially serving as their own directors for the night.

From Quartz

Before news of the coach firings came, Ingalls said the whole experience has shed light on the need for more oversight and training for school coaches.

From Voice of San Diego

Formed by different salinity and temperature layers within the water, the SOFAR channel is a horizontal layer that acts as a wave guide, guiding sound waves in much the same way that optical fibers guide light waves, Wu says.

From Science News

Sometimes they’ll change their recommendations as new evidence comes to light.

From Vox

You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.

From The Daily Beast

And how we want to live our lives in light of those differences.

From The Daily Beast

Gillingham tells Mary that he wants to make their lives simpler, but it sounds a little like the dying of the light.

From The Daily Beast

As Randy notes, “Maybe there is a value in shining a light on this and asking the questions.”

From The Daily Beast

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

From The Daily Beast

Behold a dumpy, comfortable British paterfamilias in a light flannel suit and a faded sun hat.

From Project Gutenberg

She did not need a great cook-book; She knew how much and what it took To make things good and sweet and light.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Jones swung round a large iron key he held in his hand, and light dawned upon him.

From Project Gutenberg

Distance, the uncertain light, and imagination, magnified it to a high wall; high as the wall of China.

From Project Gutenberg

The faint candle-light glimmered on a ponderous gilded cornice, which had also sustained violence.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• brighten
• ignite
• kindle
• light up
• put on
• shine
• turn on