wight

[ wahyt ]

See synonyms for wight on Thesaurus.com

noun

a human being.
Obsolete.
- a supernatural being, as a witch or sprite.
- any living being; a creature.

Origin of wight

before 900; Middle English, Old English wiht; cognate with German Wicht,Old Norse vēttr,Gothic waiht

Words Nearby wight

Other definitions for wight (2 of 3)

wight²

[ wahyt ]

adjectiveBritish Dialect.

strong and brave, especially in war.
active; nimble.

Origin of wight

1175–1225; Middle English <Scandinavian; compare Old Norse vīgt, neuter of vīgr able to fight

Other definitions for Wight (3 of 3)

Wight

[ wahyt ]

noun

Isle of, an island off the S coast of England, forming an administrative division of Hampshire. 147 sq. mi. (381 sq. km). County seat: Newport.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wight in a sentence

There’s lots of reasons we might miss stuff on the Isle of wight.
An overlooked fossil turned out to be a new herbivorous dinosaur with an oddly shaped nose | Philip Kiefer | November 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
At least that’s what scientists have determined after a recent discovery of fossilized remains on the British Isle of wight.
The land-dwelling ‘hell heron’ was a 30-foot aquatic assassin | Elana Spivack | October 1, 2021 | Popular-Science
Here he “found another kind of people” from the complaisant inhabitants of the Isle of wight.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. Harper
The day “Rocket” was much older, and got a good share of the Isle of wight traffic.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. Harper
The house is surrounded by a park and the poet here enjoyed a seclusion that he could not obtain in his Isle of wight home.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. Murphy

My wife and I to Church in the afternoon, and that being done we went to see my uncle and aunt wight.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete | Samuel Pepys
So to my uncle wight's, but found him out of doors, but my aunt I saw and staid a while, and so home and to bed.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete | Samuel Pepys

British Dictionary definitions for wight (1 of 3)

wight¹

/ (waɪt) /

noun

archaic a human being

Origin of wight

Old English wiht; related to Old Frisian āwet something, Old Norse vǣttr being, Gothic waihts thing, German Wicht small person

British Dictionary definitions for wight (2 of 3)

wight²

/ (waɪt) /

adjective

archaic strong and brave; valiant

Origin of wight

C13: from Old Norse vigt; related to Old English wīg battle, Latin vincere to conquer

British Dictionary definitions for Wight (3 of 3)

Wight

/ (waɪt) /

noun

Isle of Wight an island and county of S England in the English Channel. Administrative centre: Newport. Pop: 136 300 (2003 est). Area: 380 sq km (147 sq miles)

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

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