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 )

Explanation

The word alight has two distinct meanings: it can mean coming down or settling in a delicate manner, such as a bird perching, or it can be a rather poetic way to describe something that’s on fire (or “afire”). Just as the word alight has two distinct grammatical forms and meanings, it has two distinct beginnings in the Old English. That period’s word ālīhtan had an original meaning of dismounting, or lightening the load on the horse, and so is the ancestor of the verb we use today that means "to settle or perch." Meanwhile, the word onlīhtan (see the different spelling?) of that same time meant to be on fire, which became our adjectival use of the word.

Example Sentences

“And no matter what you find that will set your heart alight, you will find it here.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Cleveland Police said a quantity of suspected WW2 ordnance was discovered and had been set alight, leaving one person with minor burns, as crews were called to Crimdon Dene beach, near Hartlepool, on Tuesday morning.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

They alight in a waterlogged Liverpool and discover the broken social factions that have cropped up in the wake of environmental collapse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

It was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing it as a "suspicious fire".

From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025

Dragging corners of things that weren’t yet alight, we pulled the bonfire apart.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

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