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alight

1
[ uh-lahyt ]
/ əˈlaɪt /
|
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verb (used without object), a·light·ed or a·lit, a·light·ing.

to dismount from a horse, descend from a vehicle, etc.
to settle or stay after descending: The bird alighted on the tree.
to encounter or notice something accidentally.

RELATED WORDS

disembark, descend, perch, light, settle, dismount, debark

Nearby words

  1. alienist,
  2. alienor,
  3. alif,
  4. aliform,
  5. aligarh,
  6. alighting gear,
  7. align,
  8. aligning punch,
  9. alignment,
  10. alignment chart

Origin of alight

1
before 1000; Middle English alighten, Old English ālīhtan, equivalent to ā- a-3 + līhtan to relieve (originally an animal mount) of weight, light2)

Definition for alight (2 of 2)

alight

2
[ uh-lahyt ]
/ əˈlaɪt /

adverb, adjective

provided with light; lighted up.
on fire; burning.

Origin of alight

2
before 1000; now taken as a-1 + light1; orig. past participle of alight to light up (Middle English alihten, Old English onlīhtan, equivalent to on a-1 + līhtan to light1)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alight

British Dictionary definitions for alight (1 of 2)

alight

1
/ (əˈlaɪt) /

verb alights, alighting, alighted or alit (intr)

(usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from)to alight from a taxi
to come to rest; settle; landa thrush alighted on the wall

Word Origin for alight

Old English ālīhtan, from a- ² + līhtan to make less heavy, from līht light ²

British Dictionary definitions for alight (2 of 2)

alight

2
/ (əˈlaɪt) /

adjective, adverb (postpositive)

burning; on fire
illuminated; lit up

Word Origin for alight

Old English ālīht lit up, from ālīhtan to light up; see light 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012