lightening

American  

[lahyt-n-ing] / ˈlaɪt n ɪŋ /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity, occurring toward the end of pregnancy, changing the contour of the abdomen and facilitating breathing by lessening pressure under the diaphragm.

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lightening British  

/ ˈlaɪtənɪŋ /

noun

1. obstetrics the sensation, experienced by many women late in pregnancy when the head of the fetus enters the pelvis, of a reduction in pressure on the diaphragm, making it easier to breathe

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Etymology

Origin of lightening

First recorded in 1520–30; lighten ² + -ing ¹

Compare meaning

How does lightening compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• lightning vs. lightening

Example Sentences

She played in the Vitality Super League last season with London Pulse, helping them to reach their first Grand Final where they were beaten 57-48 by Loughborough Lightening.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2023

Afterward, Talbot will rejoin Adelaide Lightening as for the ninth season and will serve as club captain.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 9, 2022

Lightening the mood, Goldberg later thanked Hasselbeck for being "her first conservative" to have such conversations with, to which Hasselbeck jokingly replied "I was your first?"

From Salon • Aug. 3, 2022

Lightening is a type of natural disturbance whereas pollution is a human related disturbance.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

This Church was formerly very magnificent, but was consumed by Lightening in 1718; when the Reverend Fathers the Jesuits lost a real Treasure in Pictures.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

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