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

Despite the fact a fight between two boxers nearing 50 is unlikely to set the sporting world alight, the competitive aspect seems secondary to the product.

From BBC

It's not clear why 120 years later the material set alight.

From BBC

Appalled by the incomprehensible waste—Hiroshima was still weeks away—he searched for precedent in myth and antiquity, alighting at once on the North African city of Carthage.

From The Wall Street Journal

It flared up as the sticks caught alight, and shadows danced on her face as she turned back to them.

From Literature

Glory was grinning, her eyes alight with the same kind of mischief he had seen in the Moon Witch.

From Literature

Related Words

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