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

Photos from the site of the crash showed rescue workers helping passengers alight the train, which had fallen off the rail tracks and partly tilted over the side of a cliff.

From BBC

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

While the creations from independent L.A. brand Lucky Star Candle are technically burnable, I prefer to display them around my house like beautiful wax sculptures whose sole purpose is alighting aesthetic pleasure within me.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Related Words

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