alit
- a simple past tense and past participle of alight1.
alight
1- 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.
Origin of alight
1Examples from the Web for alit
Historical Examples of alit
As ill-luck would have it, I alit upon my feet within the vehicle.
The Works of Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe
A faint scent of chypre from Petticoat's cigarette as he alit.
Ptomaine StreetCarolyn Wells
Then she there alit, and came before the king and saluted him; and he said: Damosel, God thee bless.
A Knyght Ther WasRobert F. Young
They were still high up, but all of a sudden they darted down together and alit on a tall tree that stood nearly alone.
The Forest ExilesMayne Reid
And then he alit off his horse, and said: Fair sweet brother, when came ye hither?
Chronicle and Romance (The Harvard Classics Series)Jean Froissart, Thomas Malory, Raphael Holinshed
alit
- a rare past tense and past participle of alight 1
alight
1- (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
alight
2- burning; on fire
- illuminated; lit up
Word Origin for alight
Word Origin and History for alit
poetic past tense and past participle of alight (v.).
alight
"to descend, dismount," Old English alihtan, originally "to lighten, take off, take away," from a- "down, aside" (see a- (1)) + lihtan "get off, make light" (see light (v.)). The notion is of getting down off a horse or vehicle, thus lightening it. Of aircraft (originally balloons) from 1786. Related: Alighted; alighting.
alight
"on fire," early 15c., apparently from Middle English aliht, past participle of alihton (Old English on-lihtan) "to light up," also "to shine upon" (see light (n.)).