▪ I.light,n.|laɪt|Forms: 1–2 léoht, 1 líoht, Anglian lē̆ht, 2–3 leocht, 2–5 liht, (4 lyht), 3–4 lict, lit(t, lijt, 3–5 liȝt(e, lyȝt, (liȝht, lyȝhte, lyȝght), lith, 4 lyth(e, 4–6 lyght(e, (5 lyghth, 6 lyghtt), Sc.lycht, (4 lyicht), 4, 6 lyte, (4 ? leyt, 6 lytt), 5 leght, 2–3, 4– Sc.licht, 3– light.[OE.léohtstr.neut. (later lĕoht, Anglian lē̆ht, earlyME.lĭht) corresponds toOFris.liacht,OS.lioht (Du.licht),OHG.lioht (MHG.lieht,mod.G. licht):—OTeut.*leuhtom:—pre-Teut. *leuktom (also *leukotom, whenceGoth.liuhaþ; for the suffixcf.naked a.),f.Aryan root *leuk- to shine, be white. (Not inON., which has instead a parallel formation on the same root, liós:—*leuhs-.) According to some scholars, then.is the neuter of theadj.*leuhto- light a.2; on this view the primary sense would be ‘that which is bright’.The Aryan root *leuk- (: *louk-: *lū̆k-) is represented in a great number of words. InTeut., besides the words mentioned above and their derivatives, there are those mentioned under lait v., leamn.1, leye; alsoOE.líxan to lighten. OutsideTeut.the root appears inSkr.ruc to shine, rṓcas, rōcís neut., brightness, rukma shining,Gr.λευκός white, λεύσσειν to see, L. lūx, lūmen light, lūcēre to shine, lūna (:—*louknā) moon, OIrish lón, lúan moon, lóche lightning, Welsh llûg light, lluched lightning, lleufer (OWelsh louber) light,OSl.luča beam of light.]1.That natural agent or influence which (emanating from the sun, bodies intensely heated or burning, and various other sources) evokes the functional activity of the organ of sight.a.Viewed as the medium of visual perception generally. Also, the condition of space in which light is present, and in which therefore vision is possible. Opposed to darkness.c1000ælfricGen.i. 3God cwæð þa: ᵹeweorðe leoht, and leoht wearð ᵹeworht.
c1250Gen.& Ex. 44Al was ðat firme ðrosing in niȝt, Til he wit hise word made liȝt.
1398TrevisaBarth. De P.R. viii. xxviii. (1495) 339Lyghte shedyth itselfe fro the hyghest heuen anone to the mydle of the worlde.
c1460TowneleyMyst.i. 23Darknes from light we parte on two.
1593Shakes.Lucr. 674Light and lust are deadlie enemies.
1671MiltonSamson 90Since light so necessary is to life.
1679DrydenTroilus & Cr. iv. ii,Now shine, sweet moon! let them have just light enough to make their passes.
1756BurkeSubl. & B. xxi. xiv,All colours depend on light.
1860TyndallGlac.i. vi. 45Beyond a certain intensity..light ceases to be light, and becomes mere pain.
b.Viewed as being itself an object of perception, cognized by means of the specific visual sensation indicated by the use of words like ‘bright’, ‘shining’, etc. Also, in particularized sense, an individual shining or appearance of light.For northern, southern lights (=aurora Borealis, Australis), zodiacal light, see theadjs.Beowulf 727Him of eaᵹum stod liᵹe ᵹelicost leoht unfæᵹer.
a1100O.E.Chron.an. 789 (LaudMS.)Heofenlic leoht[MS.F. lioht]wæs ᵹelome seoᵹen ðær þer he ofslaᵹen wæs.
a1225Leg.Kath. 1594Swuch leome & liht leitede þrinne.
c1300Havelok 588She saw þer-inne a lith ful shir, Also brith so it were day, Aboute þe knaue þer he lay.
1567J. MapletGr.Forest 3A Gem..in whose Centre..a certaine light is seene shining..like to the Moone.
1596Shakes.Merch.V. v. i. 89That light we see is burning in my hall.
1634MiltonComus 340With thy long levell'd rule of streaming light.
1846RuskinMod.Paint. II. iii. i. v. §4Whatever beauty there may result from effects of light on foreground objects.
1847TennysonPrincess iv. 3The long light shakes across the lakes.
1866M. ArnoldThyrsis xvii,And in the scatter'd farms the lights come out.
c.Viewed as residing in or emanating from a luminary. Phr. to give light (said of a luminary).c1000Ags.Gosp.Matt.xxiv. 29Se mona hys leoht ne sylð.
a1300Cursor M. 1771Sun and mone had tint þair light.
1340–70Alex. & Dind. 122His[the sun's]lem on þe loft liȝht ȝaf aboute.
1362Langl.P. Pl. A. i. 163Chastite withouten Charite.. Is as lewed as a Laumpe þat no liht is inne.
1530TindaleAnsw.More 24The air is dark of itself, & receiveth all her light of the sun.
1548HallChron.,Hen.VIII, 22On the top stode a goodly Bekon gevyng light.
1592Shakes.Rom.& Jul. v. iii. 125What Torch is yond that vainely lends his light To grubs and eyelesse Sculles?
1634MiltonComus 199And fill'd their Lamps With everlasting oil, to give due light To the misled and lonely Travailer.
1716PopeIliad viii. 688As when the Moon..O'er Heav'ns pure Azure sheds her sacred Light.
1814ScottWav. ii,The sun..poured..its chequered light through the stained window.
d.In scientific use.The word light has been used in six special senses: (a) the thing (variously conceived as matter or energy) which is communicated from a luminous body to the body illuminated by it; (b) this thing regarded as producing sensation; (c) the sensation produced; (d) the process (variously conceived as rectilinear motion of corpuscles, undulatory motion of the ether, or periodic change of electrical and magnetic states) by which the communication is made; (e) certain characteristics of such processes (rays or waves); (f) physical energies and processes of the same type as those involved in the production of vision, but having possibly a different range of periods (e.g.Röntgen rays). The sense (c) (rare in actual use, though not uncommonly expressed in definitions) agrees with an occasional use of the word in popular language: we should,e.g., usually apply the name light to the sensation experienced when the optic nerve is excited mechanically without the intervention of a luminous body. In the sense (d) the word light is equivalent to the process of transmission of light; in the sense (e) it is equivalent to rays of light or waves of light.(a)1704NewtonOpticks i. 18The Light of the Sun consists of Rays differently refrangible.
1811A. T. ThomsonLond.Disp. (1818) p. xxxvi,Light is a substance consisting of very subtle particles which are constantly emanating in straight lines from luminous bodies.
1876TaitRec.Adv.Phys.Sci.iii. (ed.2) 66It necessarily followed that light is a form of energy.
(b)1704Newton (title)Opticks: or, a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light.
1807T. YoungLect.Nat.Philos.II. 629Radiant Light consists in Undulations of the luminiferous Ether.
(c)1800Herschel inPhil.Trans.XC. 295Light, both solar and terrestrial, is a sensation occasioned by rays emanating from luminous bodies.
(d)1875W. K. Clifford inFortn.Rev.XVII. 785Thus light is described as a vibration and such properties of light as are also properties of vibrations are thereby explained.
(e)1900J. LarmorAether & Matter xii. 205Waves of high period (much higher however than ordinary light).
(f)1865Maxwell inPhil.Trans.CLV. 466We have strong reason to conclude that light itself including radiant heat, (and other radiations if any), is an electromagnetic disturbance in the form of waves.
1897S. P. Thompson (title)Light visible and invisible.
e.The portion or quantity of light which comes through a window, or which is otherwise regulated so as to illuminate a given space. in a good (or bad) light: situated so as to be clearly visible (or the reverse).In the early 17th c. false lights or deceiving lights are often mentioned as a kind of trickery practised by shopkeepers. See,e.g.a1616Beaum.&Fl.Phylaster v. iii. (1620) 58; a
1626MiddletonWom. beware Wom. ii. ii. (1657) 120 and Anyth. for quiet Life ii. ii. (1662) C 3 b.
a1533Ld.Berners Huon clxiii. 643Other wyndowes there were..the whiche gaue great lyght into the house.
1625BaconEss.Building (Arb.) 551A double House, without Thorow Lights, on the Sides.
1658W. SandersonGraphice 26Place your best Pieces, to be seen with single lights.
Ibid.61Choose your Light Northwards towards the East, one single Light only, great and fair, without any reflection of Trees or Walls.
1797Holcrofttr.Stolberg'sTrav.(ed.2) II. xlii. 69The picture..is in a bad light.
1854ThackerayNewcomes xvii,Bed-rooms where Lady Betty has had her hair powdered, and where the painter's north-light now takes possession of the place which her toilet-table occupied a hundred years ago.
f.in light: exposed to rays of light, lighted up.1847TennysonPrincessConcl.41The happy valleys, half in light and half Far-shadowing from thewest.
g.one's light: the ordinary measure of light which a person enjoys, or expects to enjoy, for seeing around him. to stand in a person's light=to cut him off from the enjoyment of it; hence this and similar phrases are used fig.to express injury done to a person's interests; so to stand (Sc.also to sit) in one's own light. †to lay in (a person's) light: to bring as an objection against.c1386ChaucerMiller's T. 210Bycause that he fer was from hir sighte, This nye Nicholas stood in his lighte.
1528MoreDialogue Heresyes iv.Wks.252/1He could shewe a fayre law,..which lawe if it wer laied in their light that would take vpon them the defence of any worship to be done to ymages, would make al theyr eyen dase.
1535StewartCron.Scot.(1858) II. 73We sat ouir far into oure awin licht.
1538BaleGod's Promises v. 21What tho' fearce Pharao wrought myschef in thy syght, He was a pagan, lay not that in our lyght.
1546J. HeywoodProv.ii. iv.Wks.(1562) G ij,How blindly ye stand in your owne light.
1601DentPathw. Heaven 222They[the wicked]be much their owne foes, and stand in their owne light.
1633B. JonsonTale Tub ii. i,Take a vool's Counsel, and do not stand in your own light.
1637RutherfordLett.(1862) I. 226And do we not sit far in our own light, to make it a matter of bairn's play.
1848DickensDombey xxxix,To take away the character of a lad that's been a good servant to you, because he can't afford to stand in his own light for your good.
1856ReadeNever too Late lxx,Don't stand in the poor girl's light.
Mod.colloq.Please move a little farther that way; you are in my light.
h.A gleam or sparkle in the eye, expressive of animated feeling or the like.1593Shakes.Lucr. 1378And dying eyes gleem'd forth their ashie lights.
1833H. ColeridgeSong, ‘She is not fair’ 10,I cease not to behold The love-light in her eye.
1852Mrs. StoweUncle Tom's C. xxxix,He was followed by Cassy, pale, calm..and with that same fearful light in her eye.
1893Pall MallMag.Christm.No.249He had..an eye without light, a voice without charm.
i.to put out or quench (one's) light: to extinguish his ‘vital spark’.1604Shakes.Oth.v. ii. 10–13. a 1616Beaum.&Fl.Maid'sTrag.iv. i. (1619) G 4 b,Evad. You will not murther me? Mel. No, tis a iustice and a noble one, To put the light out of such base offenders.
1810ScottLady of L. iii. xi,Quench thou his light, Destruction dark!
1866‘Mark Twain’Lett.from Hawaii (1967) 152The sick Portyghee watched his chance..harnessed the provisions and ate up nearly a quarter of a bar'l of bread before the old man caught him, and he had more than two notions to put his lights out.
1891Star 10 Feb. 3/6He had been heard to say, ‘I should like to put her light out,’ and had fired at her bed-room window.
1910W. M. RaineBucky O'Connor 25Mebbe I'd a-put his lights out for good and all.
1935A. J. PollockUnderworld Speaks 92/2Put his lights out, to kill.
1955‘A. Gilbert’Is she Dead Too? vii. 133Say she put out the old girl's light, that ain't going to encourage the widower to pay his addresses to her.
j.pl.[after L. lumina.]Graces of style. rare—1.1710AddisonTatlerNo.267 ⁋4Bacon..had the..comprehensive Knowledge of Aristotle, with all the beautiful Lights, Graces, and Embellishments of Cicero.
k.fig.light of one's eye(s: applied to a loved object.a1000Juliana 95Ðu eart dohtor min..minra eaᵹna leoht.
1636MassingerGt.Dk.Florence iv. ii,She was the light of my eyes, and comfort of My feeble age.
1841LaneArab.Nts. I. 108O my beloved! O light of mine eye.
l.the light of God's countenance: inPs.iv. 6, etc.=Divine favour. In allusion to this, the light of (a person's) countenance is often sarcastically used for: (his) sanction, approving presence.1890Hall CaineBondman i. i,Count Trollop was in Iceland at this celebration of the ancient festival, and he was induced by Jorgen to give it the light of his countenance.
2.spec.The illumination which proceeds from the sun in day-time; daylight. Also, the time of daylight; day-time, day-break. (Usually the light. Also the light of day.)c1000Ags.Ps.(Th.) lxxvii. 33ær leohte[L. ante lucem].
c1020RuleSt.Benet viii. (Logeman) 37Onginnendum leohte[L. incipiente luce].
a1175Cott.Hom.233Hwat deð si moder hire bearn, formes hi hit cheteð and blissið be þe lichte.
a1300Cursor M. 14195Qua has to wenden ani wai, God es to go bi light o dai.
c1300Proverbs of Hending xxxvi. in Salomon &Sat.(1848) 279Drynk eft lasse, and go by lyhte hom, quoþ Hendyng.
a1340HampolePsalter cxviii. 148As a goed werk man þat rysis bifor light til his werk.
1526Pilgr.Perf.(W. de W. 1531) 138Lyke as the precyous stone, the more it is polyshed or rubbed, the more perfytly it receyueth the lyght.
a1600MontgomerieMisc.P. v. 26All day I wot not what to do, I loth to sie the licht.
1697DrydenVirg.Georg. iii. 613Their Morning Milk, the Peasants press at Night: Their Evening Meal before the rising Light To Market bear.
Ibid.iv. 274Then having spent the last Remains of Light, They give their Bodies due Repose at Night.
1813Sir H. DavyAgric.Chem.(1814) 230Plants grow vigorously only when supplied with light.
1860–1F. NightingaleNursing 59Almost all patients lie with their faces turned to the light exactly as plants always make their way towards the light.
1875JowettPlato (ed.2) I. 134The appointed hour was approaching when man in his turn was to go forth into the light of day.
b.In the asseverative phrase by this (good) light. Also by God's light: see god 14 a and 'slight. arch.c1510Interl.FourElem.(PercySoc.) 23Thou art a mad gest, be this lyght!
1599Shakes.Much Ado v. iv. 93Come, I will haue thee, but by this light I take thee for pittie.
1610―Temp.ii. ii. 147By this good light.
1625FletcherNoble Gent. v. i,Beau. Catcht, by this light!
1821ScottKenilw. iv,By this light, Anthony, thou art mad.
c.to see the light, to come into the world; to be brought forth or published. Now also, to reach a full understanding or realization; to be converted (esp.to Christianity).a1687PettyPol.Arith. (1690)Ded.,Had not the Doctrins offended France, they had long since seen the light.
1705HearneCollect.20 July (O.H.S.) I. 10He is resolv'd it[a book]shall see y⊇ Light.
1752HumeEss.&Treat.(1777) I. 175As soon as the helpless infant sees the light.
1812Niles'Reg.III. 195/2It is indispensably necessary that every man should ‘see the light’.
1889Kansas City (Missouri) Times & Star 14 Oct.,Up to a few weeks ago, he was opposed to a revival of navigation on the Missouri, but now he has seen the light and says he's for it strong.
1903N.Y.Even.Post 10 Sept.,It is altogether likely that they, too, will see the light before another week has passed.
1933H. G. WellsShape of Things to Come iii. iv. 275Men who saw the light and spoke were only one species of a larger genus of human beings whose minds worked differently from the common man's.
1944H. Jameset al. (song-title)I'm beginning to see the light.
1966‘L. Lane’ABZ of Scouse 94See ther light, to plead guilty or to reform.
3.The state of being visible or exposed to view. to come to light (in early use †in, on light): to be revealed, disclosed, made visible or made known. to bring (rarely†put) to light (cf.F. mettre en lumière): to reveal, make known, publish.a1000Elene 1123 (Gr.)Nu is in leoht cymen, onwriᵹen wyrda bigang.
a1300Cursor M. 15892He drogh him bak behind þe men Wald he noght cum in light.
1535CoverdaleEzek.xvi. 57When thou wast in thy pryde, and before thy wickednesse came to light.
1549T. SomeLatimer's 7Serm.Ep.Ded.(Arb.) 19,I haue gathered, writ, and brought into lyght the famous fryday sermons of Mayster Hugh Latimer.
1567Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 44Thairby it sall cum to lycht That ze ar my Disciples rycht.
1597MorleyIntrod.Mus.Ded.,It is necessary for him who shall put to light any such thing as this is, to choose such a patron[etc.].
1611BibleJob xxviii. 11The thing that is hid, bringeth he foorth to light.
1643Declar.Comm.,Reb.Irel.57Their devillish designes and devices are come to light, and brought to our Knowledge.
1765Parsons inPhil.Trans.LV. 48A worthy family who..had lived in Virginia several years in a conspicuous light.
1870Max MüllerSci.Relig.(1873) 285Everybody wished..to bring to light some of the treasures.
1871FreemanNorm.Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 224Its history is shrouded in the darkness which surrounds all the doings of its Earl till he breaks forth into full light in the course of the next year.
1891Law Times XCII. 18/2Another defect in the Rules of Court 1883 has come to light.
4.Power of vision, eyesight (now poet.or rhet.). Also pl.=the eyes (now only slang).971Blickl.Hom.19Gehyran we nu forwhon se blinda leoht onfeng.
Ibid.21Se blinda..bæd his eaᵹena leohtes.
c1250Meid Maregrete 42Nis no tonge an erþe ne non eyen litt Ðat mai telle þe ioie.
1580LylyEuphues (Arb.) 340Hir eyes hasill, yet bright, and such were the lyghtes of Venus.
1599Broughton'sLet.vii. 21The weakning of his[Samson's]strength lost his libertie and his light.
1607WilkinsMis. Enforced Marr. ii. D 1 b,Lift vp thine eyes..They were not borne to loose their light so soone.
1815SportingMag.XLV. 161He mill'd the stout Caleb and darken'd his lights.
1883R. W. DixonMano i. xii. 38His ministers with point of piercing sword Put out my light for ever.
5.A body which emits illuminating rays.a.The sun or other heavenly body (afterGen.i. 16).c1000Sax.Leechd.III. 234On ðam feorðan dæᵹe ᵹesceop God twa miccle leoht, þæt is sunne and mona.
c1460TowneleyMyst.i. 21Make we heuen & erth..and lyghtys fayre to se.
1574BourneRegiment for Sea ix. (1577) 34 b,You may knowe it by the Arke or bearing of the Starres and lyghtes rounde about you.
1608Shakes.Per.ii. iii. 41And hee the Sunne for them to reuerence; None that beheld him, but, like lesser lights, Did vaile their Crownes to his supremacie.
1819J. WilsonDict.Astrol.,Lights, the luminaries.
1871R. Ellistr.Catullus lxii. 26Hesper, shineth in heaven a light more genial ever?
b.An ignited candle, lamp, gas-jet, or the like. Hence wax lights=wax candles for lighting (now rare in this use:cf.14 b); bright lights: see bright a. 10 b; lights out (Mil.): the last bugle-call of the day, giving the signal for all lights to be extinguished. Hence in non-military use.c1000ælfricHom.(Th.) I. 150We sceolan on ðisum dæᵹe beran ure leoht to cyrcan, and lætan hi ðær bletsian.
a1400–50Alexander 4231Many liȝtis of a liȝt is liȝtid othire-quile.
c1420St.Editha 1276 (Horstm.)Þis mayde toke hit[sc. þe cerge]þo from þat place & blewe ouȝt þe leyȝt anone sodanly.
c1449PecockRepr. ii. vi. 169Sette liȝtis or laumpis bifore hem[images].
1537Bury Wills (Camden) 128,I wyll have a lyte brynnyng yn the chansell before the sacrement.
a1548HallChron.,Hen.VIII, 207 b,In this chamber was hanged a great braunche of silver percell gilte, to beare lightes.
1593Shakes.Lucr. 673This said, he sets his foote vppon the light.
1604E. G[rimstone]D'Acosta'sHist.Indies iv. xxxiii. 301Both rich and poor vse this tallowe for lightes.
1849JamesWoodman ii,The lights were lighted in a large, comfortable, well-furnished room.
1861C. ReadeCloister & H. lvii. (1896) 174A Tuscan noble promised ten pounds of wax lights to our lady of Ravenna.
1868Queen's Regulations Army §845Between tattoo and reveille no trumpet or bugle is to be sounded,..with the exception of the call ‘lights out’.
1888Pall Mall G. 23 July 6/2The common practice of seeking for an escape of gas with a light caused a serious explosion yesterday morning.
1905Captain XIII. 42/2It's off... We aren't allowed to talk after lights-out!
1914R. BrookeLet.3 Oct. (1968) 621Faint lights burning through the ghostly tents, and a distant bugler blowing Lights Out.
1922C. E. MontagueDisenchantment iv. 56They would argue after Lights Out.
1942R.A.F.Jrnl.13 June 14There would be no lights-out time, no check-up to ensure every man was in.
1950A. BaronThere's no Home ii. 19The wooden gates..could be closed every evening at Lights Out.
1965G. JacksonLet.June in Soledad Brother (1971) 78One of those tall ultrabright electrical fixtures used to illuminate the walls and surrounding area at night casts a direct beam of light in my cell at night... Consequently I have enough light, even after the usual twelve o'clock lights-out, to read or study by.
1969I. & P. OpieChildren's Games viii. 246The statues have to come to life, and do the things they think monsters or fairies..would do... The puller then commands ‘Lights out’..and they have to close their eyes.
c.collect.The candles or other illuminants used to light a particular place; lights collectively.†Also, material to be burnt for lighting.a1023WulfstanHom., Sermo Lupi (Napier) 308Godes cyrcan..mid leohte and lacum hy ᵹelome ᵹegretan.
1297R.Glouc.(Rolls) 7806Vor me ne miȝte no chirchegong wiþoute liȝte do.
c1300Havelok 576Grim bad Leue bringen lict, For to don on his cloþes.
1387TrevisaHigden (Rolls) VI. 317An hondred mark to Seynt Peter his liȝt.
1389inEng.Gilds (1870) 7Eueri quarter for to meyntene þe liȝt & þe almesse of þe broþerhede .iij.d.
1430E.E. Wills (1882) 85To our lady lyght, vjd... Item to seint Mergret lyght, iiijd.
c1449PecockRepr. ii. vi. 170Forto knele and preie and bere liȝt and sette up candelis bifore an ymage.
c1470HenryWallace ii. 281Scho gert graith wp a burd..honowryt with gret lycht.
1520Carpenters'Accts.in Sharp Cov.Myst.(1825) 186Payd for lyght for the Cressetts xd.
1561Ibid.,For carryinge ij cressites and iij stone of lyght..ijs.
1609SkeneReg.Maj.,Stat.Robt.I, 27 b,Lands given and disponed for singing, or for licht in the kirk.
d.A signal-fire or beacon-lamp,esp.on a ship or in a lighthouse; often with prefixed qualification as fixed light, flashing light, intermittent light, revolving light. Hence, used for the lighthouse itself.1604E. G[rimstone]D'Acosta'sHist.Indies iii. xi. 155In the beginning of the night the Admiralls light failed so, as the other shippe never see them after.
1790BeatsonNav.&Mil.Mem.253On the evening of the 3rd of April, Sir Edward ‘made the light’ of the Baleines on the Isle of Rhée.
1793SmeatonEdystone L.Introd.5The original lantern for the light was of a diameter somewhat exceeding five feet.
1793,1858[see floating light].
1798ColeridgeAnc.Mar. vi. xxi,They stood as signals to the land, Each one a lovely light.
1850A. StevensonTreat.Lighthouses i. 106The succession of red and white lights is caused by the revolution of a frame whose different sides present red and white lights... The flashing light is produced in the same manner as the revolving light.
Ibid.107The intermittent light is distinguished by bursting suddenly into view, and continuing steady for a short time, after which it is suddenly eclipsed for half a minute... This distinction, as well as that called the flashing light, is peculiar to the Scotch coast.
1863Murray'sHandbk.Kent & Sussex 157The wall, like that of its sister light at Gessoriacum.., is composed of[etc.].
1894A. RobertsonNuggets 44Revealing the object he was in search of, as a harbour light reveals the port.
1896A. E. HousmanShropsh.Lad lix,Black towers above the Portland light The felon-quarried stone.
†e.A linkman. Obs.1712SteeleSpect.No.454 ⁋7,I went to my Lodging, led by a Light,..and made him give me an Account of the Charge[etc.].
f.out like a light (with preceding verb or auxiliary): having lost consciousness, having fainted, or gone to sleep, at once.1934[see go v. 87 u].
1956B. HolidayLady sings Blues (1973) xix. 155When it came time to come out for the third curtain call I said, ‘Bobby, I just can't make it no further,’ and I passed out like a light.
1964R. BraddonYear Angry Rabbit ii. 17The Prof's out like a light.
1970Women's Household July 10/3That first night he came dashing in the house, made a running leap at the couch, and was out like a light!
1973J. PhilipsLarkspur Conspiracy i. iv. 75He..lay down on his bed. He went out like a light.
g.Usu. pl.Traffic lights. Also fig.1938E. BowenDeath of Heart iii. vi. 439The driver twitched his head once or twice. Then the lights went against him; he pulled up.
1963A. HunterGently Floating ii. 29They came to the bridge, were halted by lights... The lights changed. Gently drove over.
1970M. Kenyon100,000 Welcomes i. 8I'll drop you at the next lights.
1971DailyTel.(ColourSuppl.) 22 Oct. 7/2That's right, you bumbling old fool, slow down as we come to the next lights and we'll miss the green.
1972Accountant 19 Oct. 495/1Stock markets have been in neutral waiting for the lights to change.
6.Used fig.with reference to mental illumination or elucidation.a.In phrases, as to give (carry, bring) light (†to or into a subject). Also to get or receive light. Now usually to throw (cast, shed) light upon. †to have need of light, to need explanation.c1449PecockRepr. i. iii. 16Ech man having to do with suche questiouns mai soone se that Holi Writt ȝeueth litil or noon liȝt therto at al.
1559W. CuninghamCosmogr. Glasse 127This carde should seme to giue a great light and knowledge vnto Nauigation.
1581LambardeEiren. i. ix. (1602) 42The Salutation of the Queene is but a Catologue of all the names of the Iustices, and contayneth nothing that hath neede of light.
1657–8Burton's Diary (1828) II. 423,I have received great light from him, and hope for much more.
c1680BeveridgeSerm.(1729) I. 116Thus I have given you what light I could into both these expressions.
1696WhistonTheory Earth ii. (1722) 102This Matter will..give light and strength to some of the former Testimonies.
1706HearneCollect.19 Jan. (O.H.S.) I. 165Mr. Hugh Broughton..had ye chief Hand and gave light to ytWork.
1719De FoeCrusoe ii. xi. (1840) 235Can you give me no further light into it?
1732BerkeleyAlciphr. iv. §2Arguments..which carry light have their effect, even against an opponent who shuts his eyes.
1793SmeatonEdystone L. §192,I was very desirous to get some light into some of the sensible qualities, that might probably occasion the difference.
1841CarlyleOn Heroes v. 309When he did speak, it was to throw new light on the matter.
1855BainSenses & Int. i. ii. §10 (1864) 38The experimental enquiries of recent years have thrown much light upon this obscure and mysterious subject.
1860AdlerFauriel'sProv.Poetry xvi. 351It is on these antecedents that I shall first endeavor to shed some light.
1884D. Huntertr.Reuss'sHist.Canon iv. 57The various aberrations of heresy are well suited for casting some light on the history of the canon.
b.Illumination or enlightenment, as a possession of the mind, or as derivable from some particular source. light of nature, the capacity given to man of discerning certain divine truths without the help of revelation.1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 134Thes maner thynges a man may not do wythout wysdome and vndyrstondynge and lyght of connynge.
1595Shakes.John iv. iii. 61We had a kinde of light, what would ensue.
1599[Cartwright]ChristianLet.7Yet you infer that the light of nature teacheth some knowledge naturall whiche is necessarie to saluation.
1630PrynneGod No Impostor 12It is a greater good or happinesse then man by all the light of Art or Nature can attaine vnto.
1669BunyanHoly Citie 195These words do, in my present Light, point[etc.].
1710BerkeleyPrinc.Hum.Knowl.§72If we follow the light of reason.
1732―Alciphr. i. §2Having spread so much light and knowledge over the land.
1790BurkeFr.Rev.Wks.V. 191The men of England, the men, I mean, of light and leading in England.
1821LambEliaSer.i. Old Benchers,Lovel..was a quick little fellow, and would despatch it[business]out of hand by the light of natural understanding.
1852H. RogersEcl. Faith (1853) 108That is the point on which I want light!
1871MorleyCondorcet in Crit.Misc.Ser.i. (1878) 87Less read through⁓out Europe by men of superior light.
1894JessoppRandom Roaming, etc., iv. 145The Rector..doing his duty according to his light as a country parson.
c.pl.(a) Pieces of information or instruction; facts, discoveries, or suggestions which explain a subject. (b) The opinions, information, and capacities, natural or acquired, of an individual intellect. (Cf.F. lumières.) Often inphr.according to (one's) lights.1526Pilgr.Perf.(W. de W. 1531) 125He hath his suggestyons, felynges, & lyghtes.
1634Sir T. HerbertTrav.217We may entertaine some lights out of authentique Story.
1683TempleMem.Wks.1731 I. 387,I had long Conversations with the Pensioner, by which I gain'd the Lights necessary to discover the whole present Scene of Affairs.
1748Anson'sVoy.iii. vii. 354The Governor..might be expected to give us the best lights for avoiding this perplexity.
1793W. RoyMilit.Antiq.Rom.Brit.Introd.,Many new lights concerning the Roman history and geography of Britain.
1831BrewsterNewton (1855) II. xxi. 262The most distinguished of his successors, with all the lights of a century and a half, could not have stated more correctly[etc.].
1861ThackerayFour Georges iii. (1876) 83He did his best; he worked according to his lights.
1867TrollopeChron.Barset II. lvii. 140He trusted that Grace would understand this by her own natural lights.
1875JowettPlato (ed.2) III. 503We may love and honour the intentions of these excellent people, as far as their lights extend.
1879TrollopeThackeray 112To Pen and to Pen's mother he is beneficent after his lights.
d.new light(s: novel doctrines (esp.theological and ecclesiastical) the partisans of which lay claim to superior enlightenment; hence by antithesis old light(s, the traditional doctrines to which the ‘new lights’ are opposed. Also attrib.as in new light, old light men, teachers, doctrines, etc., whence New Lights, Old Lights, as designations for persons holding ‘New Light’ and ‘Old Light’ views.In Scotland the appellations New Lights, Old Lights (Sc.Auld Lichts) have been current in two different applications: (a) as occasional names for the Moderate and the Evangelical party in the Established Church (so usede.g.by Burns); (b) as the usual popular names for the two bodies into which the Associate (or Burgher) Synod was divided in 1799, and the two into which the General Associate (or Antiburgher) Synod was divided in 1806; in each case the ‘Old Light’ minority (adhering to the ‘covenanted reformation’ and to the principle of a national church) formed themselves into a separate presbytery, and in 1842 the few remaining Old Light Burghers and Old Light Antiburghers joined to form the Synod of United Original Seceders, to which the name ‘Auld Lichts’ is still frequently applied.1650T. HubbertPill Formality 67Those that dare even in their Pulpits, mock, and cry out against new lights.
1659Bp.Walton Consid.Considered 176Give greater occasion to those, who brag of their new lights,..to reject all Scripture as useless.
c1665SouthSerm.1 Kings xiii. 33Serm.(1715) 151Against which New Lights, sudden Impulses of the Spirit, Extraordinary Calls, will be but weak Arguments.
1722SewellHist.Quakers (1795) I. 19He was afraid of Fox, for going after new lights.
1744J. EdwardsWks.1834 I. p. cxviii/1To attend the ministry of those that are called New Light Ministers.
1785BurnsEp.W. Simpson xxvii,An' some their new-light fair avow, Just quite barefac't.
Ibid.xxx,Some auld-light herds in neebor towns Are mind't[etc.].
1806R. ForsythBeautiesScotl.III. 429The burgher associate clergy..have..resolved to expunge the offending passage from the Confession of Faith. Twelve or thirteen of their clergy..have wished to retain the Confession of Faith unaltered... They are called the adherents of the old light, in opposition to the majority of their brethren, whom they term new light men.
1874BluntDict.Sectss.v.Burghers,On Sept. 5th 1799..the Burgher body split into two parties, called respectively the Old-Light and the New-Light. On October 2nd the Old-Light minority constituted themselves into a separate Presbytery.
Ibid.In 1820 the New-Light Burghers united with the New-Light Antiburghers, and took the name of the United Secession.
1888Barrie (title)Auld Licht Idylls.
e.A suggestion or help to the solution of a problem or enigma. Now spec.in an acrostic puzzle, each of the words which are to be guessed, their initials (or initials and finals) forming the word or words in which the answer to the puzzle consists.1854Mrs. GaskellCompany Manners in Househ.Words 20 May 330/1Why have we not oftener recourse to games of some kind. Wit, Advice, Bout-rimés, Lights..—every one knows these..if they would only not think it beneath them to be called upon..to play at them.
1894World 3 Jan. XL. 37/1Acrostics... When ‘second thoughts’ are sent, the whole answer should be forwarded, not corrections to separate lights only.
1937H. G. WellsBrynhild vii. 108Valliant Chevrell was generally the director of his scenes[in a charade], but the direction of the first light was taken out of his hands.
1945H. PhillipsWord Play xiv. 84It is permissible to play tricks of this kind with the Lights—beheading or curtailing the words.
f.The answer to a clue in a crossword puzzle.1925‘Torquemada’Cross-Words in RhymeIntrod.Those who wish a separate entertainment..from each Light in their cross-words.
1965Listener 16 Sept. 435/1Some of the clues are two lines of verse, each by a different author. The names of the two authors have three or more consecutive letters in common and these letters form the light.
1967Sci.Amer.Sept. 268/2The horizontal words..are called the cross-lights or simply the lights.
7. a.Often with spiritual reference (said of the brightness of Heaven, the illumination of the soul by divine truth or love, etc.). angel (or spirit) of light, one who dwells in Heaven.971Blickl.Hom.17Se þe ne can þa beorhtnesse þæs ecan leohtes.
c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.13Ðese six werkes of brictnesse..he ben nemned lichtes wapne.
a1225Ancr. R. 92God wule..ȝiuen on liht wiðinnen, him uorto iseonne, ant icnowen.
c1340HampoleWks.(Horstm.) I. 13Mare priuilyer he[Satan]transfigurs hym in þe forme of an awngel of lyght.
a1400Prymer (1891) 73That thou sette the soule of thy seruant..in the Kyngdom of pees and of liȝt.
1588J. UdallDemonstr.Discipl.(Arb.) 18The light of the Gospell is (at the least) as cleare as that of the law.
1588Shakes.L.L.L. iv. iii. 257Diuels soonest tempt resembling spirits of light.
1732LawSerious C. v. (ed.2) 71To walk in the light of Religion.
1738WesleyPsalms lxxxviii. i,Thou art the God of Light!
1827HareGuesses (1859) 28Beware, ye who walk in light, lest ye turn your light into a curse.
1854FaberOratory Hymns lxvii. ‘Hark! hark! my soul’ i,Angels of Jesus! Angels of light!
b.spec.Among Quakers, the inward revelation of Christ in the soul.1656G. FoxJrnl.I. 271That which is called life in Christ the Word, was called light in us.
1706[E. Ward]Wooden WorldDiss.(1708) 89Tho' he's more beholden to Sol, than a Quaker to his inward Light.
a1713T. EllwoodAutobiog.(1714) 45,I now saw, in and by the farther Openings of the Divine Light in me.
1765A. Maclainetr.Mosheim'sEccl.Hist.(1768) V. 25They[Quakers]prefer..to be called, in allusion to that doctrine that is the fundamental principle of their association, Children or Confessors of Light.
c.Applied to God as the source of divine light, and to men who manifest it.c1000Ags.Gosp.Matt.v. 14Ge synt middaneardes leoht.
c1375Sc.Leg.SaintsProl.129God..of þis warld callit þame þe lichte.
1567Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 45Call on the Lord, our gyde and lycht.
1859FitzGeraldtr.Omar lvi. (1899) 87Whether the one True Light Kindle to Love, or Wrath consume me quite.
1860PuseyMin.Proph. 588In the presence of God Who is Light, all earthly light shall fail.
8.In figurative uses of sense 5:a.One who is eminent or conspicuous for virtue, intellect, or other excellence; a luminary.[1526TindaleJohn v. 35He was a brennynge and a shynynge light.]
1592DaviesImmort. Soul vi. i. (1714) 43Some who were great Lights of old, And in their Hands the Lamp of God did bear.
1613Shakes.Hen.VIII, i. i. 6Those Sunnes of Glory, those two Lights of Men.
1630PrynneAnti-Armin. 82He was..a worthy light of our Church.
1693J. EdwardsAuthor. O. & N.Test.78Those eminent lights of the Latin church, Rufinus, Jerom, Hilary.
a1700DrydenIliad i. 370If both the Lights Of Greece their private Int'rest disunites.
1832TennysonDream Fair Women 268Joan of Arc, A light of ancient France.
1837DisraeliVenetia i. iv,He had been one of the shining lights of his university.
1868HelpsRealmah xiii. (1876) 367The great lights of the Bench.
1887Lantern (New Orleans) 7 May 3/1Some of the leading lights of the National League.
1894JessoppRandom Roaming, etc. v. 189,I know of one eminent man of science, who was a burning and shining light in his day.
1915T. DreiserGenins ii. xl. 469What Eugene thought and what White thought of this prospective situation was that the other would naturally be the minor figure, and that he under Colfax would be the shining light.
1942Berrey & Van den BarkAmer.Thes.Slang §388/4Principal or most important person,..leading card or light.
1943K. TennantRide on Stranger xvi. 180An eminent legal light.
1974E. AmblerDr. Frigo iii. 240The procession could..move off. I was among the least of the lesser lights and so was among the first out.
b.A bright example.1550CrowleyWaie to Wealth (1872) 139Fingered ladies, whose womanlike behauiour and motherlike housewifry ought to be a lighte to al women.
9.In figurative uses of sense 1 e: A consideration which elucidates or which suggests a particular (true or false) view of a subject. Hence, the aspect in which anything is viewed or judged. in the light of: (a) with the help afforded by knowledge of (some fact); (b) in the aspect or character of, viewed as being (so and so).1689–90TempleEss., GardeningWks.1731 I. 174Cæsar, if considered in all Lights.
1705AddisonItalyPref.,I have mention'd but few Things in common with others, that are not either set in a new Light or accompany'd with different Reflections.
1712SteeleSpect.No.518 ⁋9As you have considered human nature in all its lights.
1719W. WoodSurv.Trade p. v,Should we consider your Majesty under this Light.
1748Anson'sVoy.ii. v. 182In this light it will easily appear, how much more intense the same degree of heat may prove.
1749FieldingTom Jones v. i,Those great judges whose vast strength of genius hath placed them in the light of legislators.
1793SmeatonEdystone L. §163In the light of a foremast seaman, he appeared to be quite a Genius.
1834Macaulay in TrevelyanLife I. 373,I quite enjoy the thought of appearing in the light of an old hunks who knows on which side his bread is buttered.
1891E. PeacockN. Brendon I. 289In what light did she strike you?
1893Times 1 June 9/5In the light of all that has been said and done.
10. a.A window or other opening in a wall for the admission of light; spec.one of the perpendicular divisions of a mullioned window.14..in WillisArchit.Nomencl. Mid. Ages (1844) 51Three windowes, every windowe conteineth vj lights... Item ij hiest small lights.
a1490BotonerItin. (Nasmith 1778) 287Sunt in qualibet bay-wyndow septem lyghtis.
1523Test.Ebor. (Surtees) 174A wynddoo of thre lightes to be placed in the north ile.
a1586SidneyArcadia i. (1590) 8The lightes, doores and staires, rather directed to the vse of the guest, then to the eye of the Artificer.
1608TopsellSerpents (1658) 720They shut their doores against them[Frogs], and stopped up all their lights to exclude them out of their houses.
1683MoxonMech.Exerc.Printing ii. ⁋1For the making the height of his Lights to bear a rational proportion to the capacity of the Room.
1723Chamberstr.Le Clerc'sTreat.Archit.I. 133Round or Oval Lights..make a very beautiful Diversity with the larger Windows.
1727A. HamiltonNewAcc.E.Ind.I. xxi. 254Clear Oyster-shell Lights, that are far inferior to Lights of Glass.
1760Raper inPhil.Trans.LI. 804The diameter of the circular light at top is 27 feet 5 inches.
1823RutterFonthill 55The third window..two lights high, and four wide.
1879Sir G. ScottLect.Archit.I. 182The east and west windows, of five lights each.
b.Gardening. One of the glazed compartments (usually admitting of being opened) forming the roof or side of a greenhouse or the top of a frame.1733MillerGardener'sDict.(ed.2)s.v.Hot-bed,Some have them[Frames]to contain but two Lights, which is very handy for raising Cucumber and Melon Plants.
1821W. CobbettAmer.Gardener §106Air is given by pushing up, or drawing down, the Lights, which form the top or roof of the green-house.
1829―Eng.Gardener §49Upon this frame, glazed sashes are put, which are called lights.
1847J. W. LoudonAmateurGard.Cal.(1857) 208A frame with glass lights like those used for melon and cucumber beds.
1859R. ThompsonGardener's Assist. 625The soil should be watered about ten a.m., shutting down the lights for a short time, in order to prevent a chill taking place.
11.Mech.An aperture or clear space. (Cf.F. lumière.)1776G. SempleBuilding in Water 12These Arches consist of a Semi-circle, and the Depth of their Archivolte is a tenth Part of the light or void of the greater, and an eighth Part of the light of the lesser ones.
1884F. J. BrittenWatch & Clockm.Handbk.59See that the ‘lights’ between the wheel teeth and the edge of the roller are equal on both sides when the wheel is locked.
12.Painting. Light or illuminated surface, as represented in a picture, or considered in regard to such representation; any portion of a picture represented as lighted up. Also fig.:usu.opp.to shade.In this senseperh.mixed with an absolute use of light a.2Fr.has both lumière and clair in similar applications.1622Mabbetr.Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 3With this onely did he fill and finish his Table, giuing in the rest Lights and shadowes, as might sute best with each seuerall part.
1658W. SandersonGraphice 66In what places you will have those strong and high lights, and reflections to fall, which are seen in satten and velvet.
Ibid.,Lay your light with thinne and waterish Lake.
1709FeltonClassics (1718) 69It is in Writing, as in Picture, in which the Art is to observe where the Lights will fall.
1748Anson'sVoy.iii. x. 412It is very unusual to see the light and shade justly and naturally handled[in Chinese pictures].
1811Self Instructor 513Giving the lights their proper value.
c1816Fuseli inLect.Paint. viii. (1848) 505One point is the brightest in the eye, as on the object; this is the point of light.
1821CraigLect.Drawing iii. 153A light is made brighter by being opposed to a dark.
1843RuskinArrows of Chace (1880) I. 5The Italian masters universally make the horizon the chief light of their picture.
1859Gullick & TimbsPaint. 204Selecting some point of ‘highest light’.
1867TennysonWindow 1The lights and shadows fly! Yonder it brightens and darkens down on the plain.
fig.1732PopeEss.Man ii. 121The lights and shades, whose well-accorded strife Gives all the strength and colour of our life.
1812Dramatic Censor 1811 182This may be what our modern playmakers call light and shade.
1937Printers' Ink Monthly May 39/1Light and shade, variations from quietness to tenseness, softness to shouting and which has a tendency to keep a production from a dull sameness.
1952GranvilleDict.Theatr.Terms 110Light and shade, the niceties of intonation, inflection, modulation, etc., in the reading of a part.
13.Law. The light which falls on the windows of a house from the heavens, and which the owner claims to enjoy unobscured by obstructions erected by his neighbours. Usu. in pl.In England the inscription ‘Ancient Lights’ was frequently put on the face or side of a house adjacent to a site on which lofty buildings may be erected; the object being to give warning that the owner would have ground of action against any person who should obstruct the access of light to his windows. (Cf.sense 10 above.)1768BlackstoneComm.III. 5If a house or wall is erected so near to mine that it stops my antient lights,..I may enter my neighbour's land, and peaceably pull it down.
1858Ld.St.Leonards Handy-Bk.Prop.Law vii. 48If a house is sold with all the lights belonging to it, and it is intended to build upon the adjoining ground..so as to interfere with the lights, the right to build in that manner should be expressly reserved.
Ibid.xxv. 187You should keep in view this distinction between the right to light, and rights of common and of way, or the like.
14. a.A flame or spark serving to ignite any combustible substance. to strike a light, to produce a flame or spark with flint and steel or with a match(seestrike v.).b.Something used for igniting;e.g.a spill, taper, match.1684BunyanPilgr. ii. (1900) 277Wherefore he strook a Light (for he never goes also without his Tinder-box).
1835W. IrvingTour Prairies 281We had implements to strike a light.
1835MarryatThree Cutters i,Tell Mr. Simpson to bring me a light for my cigar.
1852DickensBleak Ho. xi,Krook takes it[a candle], goes to the fire, stoops over the red embers, and tries to get a light.
1889BesantBellSt.Paul's I. 170A jar of tobacco, and a box of lights.
Mod.Go and put a light to the fire in the dining-room.
15.attrib.and Comb.a.simpleattrib., as light-beam, light-effect, light-glare, light-output, light-ray, light-scatter, light-signal, light-socket, light-song, light-source, light-spot, light-switch, light-wave;b.objective, as light-absorber, light-absorbing, light-absorptive, light-avoiding, light-bearer, light-bringer, light-creating, light-emitting, light-gathering, light-giver, light-giving, light-grasping, light-hating, light-loving, light-maker, light-making, light-passing, light-producing, light-reflecting, light-reflective, light-refracting, light-throwingadjs.; instrumental, etc., as light-actuated, light-embroidered, light-gilded, light-sensitive, light-stilledadjs.1957Technology Dec. 361/2*Light absorbers for use in products affected by ultra-violet radiations from the sun.
1967E. ChambersPhotolitho-Offset vii. 85The term density refers to the *light-absorbing ability of the[silver]layer.
1963R. R. A. HighamHandbk.Papermaking viii. 210Opacity is dependent on the number of *light-absorptive or -reflective fibre surfaces in a sheet.
1936Discovery Nov. 358/1*Light-actuated apparatus for home use is now on the market.
1924J. A. ThomsonSci.Old & New xxvi. 142The Fierasfer..is a *light-avoiding fish, related to the sand-eel.
1965B. E. Freemantr.Vandel's Biospeleol. iv. 39The light-avoiding planarians are simple to keep in captivity.
1398TrevisaBarth. De P.R. viii. xliii. (Tollem.MS.),A *lyȝt bem[L. radius]is a bryȝte strem of a body of lyȝte.
1845CarlyleCromwell (1871) IV. 119Straggling accidental light beams.
1526Pilgr.Perf.(W. de W. 1531) 67 b,The sterre called lucifer: that is to say the *lyght berer.
1852JamesAgnes Sorel (1860) I. 257Two of the light-bearers cast down their torches and fled.
1831CarlyleSart.Res.ii. v. (1838) 170By this fairest of Orient *Light-bringers must our Friend be blandished.
1781CowperTruth 390The *light-creating God.
1902Westm.Gaz.29 Sept. 3/1The energy required for producing pendulous movements of atoms and molecules giving *light-effects must be very small as compared with the total energy employed.
1962R. G. HaggarDict.Art Terms 192/1J. M. W. Turner..carried research into light effects further than any previous artist.
1745–6CollinsOde Liberty iv. 16Clouds, that lie Paving the *light-embroider'd Sky.
1964Oceanogr.& MarineBiol.II. 351The decrease in *light-emitting capacity of a methanol solution of..luciferin.
1869Chambers'sJrnl.10 Apr. 231/1Under the high power and vast *light-gathering capacity of Sir W. Herschel's four-foot reflector.
1960Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. 134The Meopta 12 × 60 has the rare combination of high magnification and brilliant light-gathering power even at night and under bad climatic conditions.
c1670H. AndersonCrt.Convert 7We must..Leave the fair Train, and the *light-guilded Room.
1382WyclifGen.i. 16And God made two greet *liȝt ȝyuerys[Vulg.luminaria].
1581SidneyApol.Poetrie (Arb.) 20Poetry..hath been the first light-giuer to ignorance.
1883Cassell'sFam.Mag.July 464/1It consists of a wick or light-giver, formed of vegetable carbon bent in the form of a loop.
1427–9Rolls of Parlt. IV. 364/2A redy Bekyn, wheryn shall be *light gevyng by nyht, to alle the Vesselx that[etc.].
1863I. WilliamsBaptistery i. v. (1874) 54The light-giving face That lights the heavens.
1856Mrs. BrowningAur. Leigh vi. 572He had been covered overmuch To keep him from the *light-glare.
1889Tablet 2 Nov. 688The most powerful *light-grasping instruments as yet used.
1647H. MoreSong of Soul iii.App.xxxvii,*Light-hating ghosts.
1895J. H. & A. ComstockMan.Study Insects xxi. 562The *Light-loving Anomala, Anomala lucicola..also feeds on the leaves of grape.
1974A. HuxleyPlant & Planet viii. 99During the twelve-hour period of the average night..the plant is regarded as ‘dark-loving’, while in the other twelve-hour period it is ‘light-loving’.
1382WyclifEzek.xxxii. 8,Y shal make alle *liȝtmakers[Vulg.luminaria]of heuen for to mourne vpon thee.
1800Herschel inPhil.Trans.XC. 528*Light-making rays.
1950Sci.News XV. 43The brightnesses thus catalogued are, however, only apparent... So, in order to compare the *light-outputs of the stars, we introduce the idea of Absolute Magnitude.
1958NewnesCompl.Amat.Photogr.120Recent developments have been in the direction of maintaining high efficiency and light-output operating at lower voltages.
1961G. MillersonTechnique Television Production iii. 38Construction differences[in lenses]..can vary their respective *light-passing abilities, although their stop numbers may be measurably identical.
1845Harmony of Comprehensible World Essay II. xiii. 221Between some bodies there may be no *light-producing sympathy, because the mutual relations of their constituent molecules may not be such as to develope light.
1964V. B. WigglesworthLife of Insects viii. 126It is among the insects that some of the most brilliant and certainly the most complex types of light-producing organs are to be found.
1880‘Mark Twain’Tramp Abroad I. xvi. 129Of *Light-rays was the Figure wove.
1950Sci.News XV. 17Light rays cannot bring about a photo-chemical change unless they are absorbed.
1854Geo.Eliottr.Feuerbach's Essence Christianity v. 61Tears are the *light-reflecting drops which mirror the nature of the Christian's God.
1951S. SpenderWorld within World iii. 180Their minds like little caves of calculating darkness which the light-reflecting snow has never penetrated.
1963*Light-reflective[see light-absorptive above].
1889E. CarpenterCivilization 88It[sc. modern science]takes the emerald, and breaks it up; treats of its color and *light-refracting qualities.
1957PartridgeEnglish gone Wrong ii. 29The light-refracting heads of the Communist philosophers and propagandists.
1958A.M.A.Arch.Industr.Health XVIII. 29/1A plot of the *light-scatter decay was divided into exponential portions by a slope-analysis method.
1961G. MillersonTechnique Television Production iii. 43Optically speaking, there are several obvious causes for lack of clarity: dirty lenses, light-scatter in the lens.
1936Discovery May 151/1It was not until the appearance of a new type of *light-sensitive cell, known as the rectifier or semi-conducting cell, that photo-electric exposure meters became popular.
1946Nature 28 Sept. 454/2N. texana also contains strains which have light-sensitive seeds.
1962Science Survey III. 240The retina is light-sensitive because it contains one or more photosensitive pigments located in its visual receptors.
1920A. S. EddingtonSpace, Time & Gravitation iii. 50It would, in fact, be possible for an observer travelling along NP to receive a *light-signal..announcing the event O, just as he reached N.
1930Morning Post 19 July 13/6An extension of the system of light signals for road traffic.
1964Amer.Jrnl.Physics XXXII. 262/2At an arbitrary instant t..a light signal S is emitted at the origin A of the coordinate system.
1960H. PinterCaretaker ii. 48There used to be a wall plug..but it doesn't work. I had to fit it in the *light socket.
1935A. H. Haffenden (title)*Light-song.
1946L. B. LyonRough Walk Home 27Our anguish has a hand, that gropes For melody, for the light-song of the sun.
1903Edin.Rev.July 113Because a spectrum line changes with change of..velocity of *light source and other disturbing causes, the value of its record is thereby increased.
1961G. MillersonTechnique Television Production iii. 49Prolonged static captions, and visible light-sources in the scene, are the worst offenders.
1884EarleAgs.Lit.98Anglia became for a century the *light-spot of European history.
1938W. de la MareMemory 81Peace beyond telling share with the *light-stilled eye.
1892F. C. AllsopPract.Electr.-Light Fitting iii. 39Lamp or branch switches are designated either by the number of lamps they are intended to control, or..by their current-carrying capacity. They are thus called 1, 2, or 3 *light, or 1, 2, or 3 ampère switches.
1926G. HuntingVicarion iv. 63He went back to his light-switch, closed the closet door which stood ajar, and brought his chair toward them again.
1972‘H. Carmichael’Naked to Grave i. 14He heard the click of a light switch in the bedroom.
1894‘Mark Twain’ inCenturyMag.Jan. 336He asked questions that would have brought *light-throwing answers.
1902Westm.Gaz.1 July 2/1An excellent translation of a light-throwing and thought-provoking book.
1871TyndallFragm.Sci.(1879) II. viii. 110Different *light-waves produce different colours.
16.SpecialComb.: light-adaptation, self-adjustment of the eye to increased intensity of light by means of a decrease in the sensitivity of the retina; also, in extended use, any reversible change in an organism that occurs in response to increased light; so light-adapted pa.pple.andppl.a., in the state that results from light-adaptation; light-ball Mil., a combustible fired from a mortar at night, to throw light on the operations of the enemy; light barrier, (a) a limit to the resolution possible with an optical microscope arising out of the finite length of light waves (nonce-use); (b) the speed of light as the limiting speed attainable by any object; light-boat=light-ship; †light-bolt, a thunderbolt; also fig.; light-box,†(a) a certain apparatus for striking a light by chemical means; (b) Naut.=light-room (Cent.Dict.); (c) a box-like piece of equipment containing a light andusu.having translucent glass on one side which provides an evenly lighted surface; light bucket Astr.(colloq.), a telescope, regarded as a device for collecting and focusing a large quantity of low-intensity radiation; light bulb=bulbn.4; light-buoy, a buoy equipped with a warning light which flashes intermittently; light button, a knob or disc which, when pressed, turns a light on or off; light-change Astr., a change in the amount of light received from a variable star; light check Theatr.(seequot.1952); light cone Physics, a surface in space-time which appears conical when represented in three dimensions and comprises all the world-points from which a light signal would reach a given point (defining the apex) simultaneously (and which therefore appear simultaneous to an observer at the apex); light cord, a cord which hangs from a ceiling or lamp stand and operates an electric light when pulled; light cue, (a) Broadcasting, a cue indicated by a light being switched on; (b) Theatr.(seequot.1961); light-cure rare or Obs., a cure effected by sunlight or artificial light; also attrib.; light curve Astr., a graph showing the variation in the light received over a period of time from a variable star or other heavenly body; light-demander, a tree that will not tolerate shade; so light-demanding a., of trees or,occas., other plants, needing full light; light-due, -duty, a toll levied on ships for the maintenance of lights in lighthouses and lightships; light-fastness, resistance to discoloration by light; so light-fast a.; †light-fat, a lamp; light-filter Photogr.=colour-filter(seecolourn.1 19); light-fixture, the flex, socket, and other equipment which is used with a light bulb; light fog Photogr.(seequot.1940 and fogn.2 4); light-grasp Astr., light-gathering power (of a telescope); light guide, a cylinder or strip of transparent material, or a bundle of them, along which light can travel with little loss, by means of total internal reflection; light gun=light pen; light-head, the top portion of a ‘light’ (sense 10); light-keeper, one who has charge of the light in a lighthouse or lightship; light-land (Hist.), land given for the maintenance of light at an altar or shrine; light-man, (a) one who attends to the light (in a lighthouse, etc.); a light-keeper; (b) a linkman; hence lightmanship, the office or duty of a lightman; light meter, an instrument for measuring the intensity of light; esp.an exposure meter; light microscope, a conventional microscope, in which ordinary light is used; light-money=light-due; light organ, in luminescent animals, the structure emitting light; light pen, a hand-held, pen-like device that incorporates a lens, photoelectric cell, and amplifier and may be used to feed information by wire to a data-processing system by placing or moving the tip on the screen of a cathode-ray tube or other surface so that electrical impulses are transmitted to the system; light-picture, a photograph; light pipe=light guide; light-port(seequot.1867); light-pressure, pressure exerted on a body by light incident on it; light quantum Physics=photon; light-room, (a) a small chamber next to the magazine in a war-ship, in which lights are placed behind thick glass windows for illuminating the magazine; (b) the room at the top of a lighthouse containing the lighting apparatus; light-scattering, scattering of light, spec.of monochromatic light by a solution as a method of determining the molecular weight of dissolved polymers and investigating their conformation; light-sensation, in the study of visual perception, the sensation produced by light; light-shot Hist., a due levied for furnishing the church with lights[=OE.leoht-ᵹesceot]; light show, a display of changing coloured lights or varied film strips,freq.accompanying popular music; also attrib.; light-stand, a stand to support a light; light station, a group of buildings which includes a lighthouse and associated buildings for housing personnel, supplies, and equipment; light-struck a., (a) ? thunderstruck; (b) Photogr., injured by exposure to actinic light; light-tight a., impervious to light; light-time Astr., the time taken by light to travel from a distant source to the observer; light-tower, a lighthouse; light trap, (a) Photogr., a device for excluding light from a room or other space without preventing access into it; (b) a device for attracting, catching, and sometimes killing, night-flying insects; so light-trapped a., provided with a light trap; light value Photogr., a number representing on an arbitrary scale the intensity of light from a particular direction; light-value shutter, a shutter having the aperture and shutter speed settings linked so that they can be altered together in such a way as to keep the amount of light admitted during an exposure constant; light valve, a device which regulates the amount of light passing through it according to the magnitude of an applied electrical signal; light-vessel=lightship; light-well, a shaft designed to admit light from above into inner rooms or a staircase of a building; light-year(seequot.1890); it is approximately equal to 9·46 × 1012 km. (5·87 × 1012 miles); also fig.1900W. H. Rivers in E. A. SchäferTextbk.Physiol.II. 1080If the eye remained in a condition of *light-adaptation, red and blue..became gradually blacker.
1962H. C. WestonSight, Light & Work (ed.2) i. 8Thus, after full light-adaptation, complete dark-adaptation may require about an hour.
1964Oceanogr.& MarineBiol.II. 352Prolonged laboratory culture, starvation, and light- or dark-adaptation had relatively little effect on luminescent ability[of the copepod Metridia lucens].
1900W. H. Rivers in E. A. SchäferTextbk.Physiol.II. 1073He found that in complete dark-adaptation the recurrent image followed the original immediately and was brighter than to the *light-adapted eye.
1935Discovery May 138/1A source of light which is almost or quite invisible to a light-adapted eye, that is to one coming in from daylight, is quite obvious to a dark-adapted eye.
1950Sci.News XV. 25A[spontaneous]change in fixation direction is quite possible, particularly when the eye is not fully light-adapted or where there is too large an object for precise fixation.
1797Encycl.Brit.(ed.3) II. 766/2Fire-balls, *light-balls, smoke-balls,[etc.].
1859F. A. GriffithsArtil.Man.(1862) 86Light balls burn from 10 to 20 minutes.
1959Listener 31 Dec. 1161/1When one gets down to sizes round about the wavelength of light..one runs into a barrier, which might be called the *light barrier, that no microscope working by means of light can break through.
1964M. McLuhanUnderstanding Media (1967) i. vi. 68No further acceleration is possible this side of the light barrier.
1968A. DimentGreat Spy Race x. 180The faster than light spaceships will bring the stars down into our backyard, for once one has broken the so-called ‘light-barrier’ there is no limit to speed.
1858HomansCycl.Commerce 1237*Light-Boats and their Accessories.
1582Stanyhurstæneis iii. (Arb.) 76Thundring *lightbolts from torne clowds fyrye be flasshing.
a1603BrewerLingua iv. i. (1607) H,Therefore more murthering art thou then the light bolt.
1647TrappComm.Rev.xii. 8Whatsoever the pope with his bulls, or the emperor with his light-bolts, did to hinder it, still the gospel ran and was glorified.
1849ThackerayPendennis I. xix. 173Helen..went for a *light-box and his cigar-case.
1853H. KnightOnce upon a Time II. 273By-and-by the light-box was sold as low as a shilling.
1940J. O. KraehenbuehlElectr.Illumination viii. 108/2The light boxes commonly used may be divided into two classes: those which are covered with some form of transmitting medium which is translucent.., and those which have prismatic lens plates.
1943J. S. HuxleyTVA 98Note the flush light boxes with patent lenses at the side of the stairway.
1957Screen Printer & Display Producer July 16/3Pin-holes were spotted out over a lightbox before printing.
1962H. C. WestonSight, Light & Work (ed.2) vi. 195These devices consist of a light-box of suitable size, the cover-glass or vizor of which allows the emission of light in a regular pattern.
1968New Scientist 31 Oct. 260/2One piece of equipment is a 34-ft ‘*light bucket’ for seeking out point sources of gamma rays in the universe.
1970Nature 7 Feb. 492/2Infrared telescopes, more properly called flux collectors—light buckets in the language of astronomy—are cheap compared with similar equipment for the visible spectrum.
1884*Light bulb[see bulbn.4].
1946E. HodginsMr. Blandings builds his Dream House (1947) i. v. 78The cost of your house doesn't get you moved into it with light bulbs in all the sockets.
1975M. KenyonMr Big xix. 185His muscled black tangled limbs trailing flex and popping lightbulbs from the overhead fixtures.
1894W. Le QueuxGt.War inEng.in 1897 xxix. 236A cruiser..was lying near the Herwit *light-buoy.
1930W. de la MareDesert Islands 19Light-ship or beacon or winking light-buoy rocked in the cradle of the deep.
1951Oxf.Jun.Encycl.IV. 71/2The older light buoys exhibit their light day and night; but they are gradually being superseded by buoys which automatically light up at sunset and extinguish themselves at dawn.
1929D. HammettDain Curse x. 95[My]hand touched the *light button. I had sense enough to push it. Light scorched my eyes.
1970R. BusbyFrighteners xvii. 172The time-switch light-button on the wall.
1890A. M. ClerkeSyst.Stars ix. 139The *light-change of S. Cancri, the second of the Algol variables, was discovered by Mr. Hind in 1848.
1928Publ.Washburn ObservatoryUniv.Wisconsin XV. i. iv. 29Ellipsoidal figure of the bodies would account for most of the light-change.
1933P. GodfreyBack-Stage i. 18‘*Light checks’ are any alterations to the opening lighting of the scene.
1952GranvilleDict.Theatr.Terms 110Light check, a dimming of lights.
1922E. P. Adamstr.Einstein's Meaning of Relativity ii. 42P′ lies outside the ‘*light-cone’.
1964A. O. BarutElectrodynamics i. 8All time-like vectors are inside the light cone and the space-like ones are outside.
1964Listener 17 Dec. 976/2Encouragement also comes from the usual diagrams in physics text books representing such relativistic ideas as the ‘light cone’.
1968M. LockwoodAccessory (1969) iii. 74She reached accurately for the hanging *light cord.
1972E. PageFamily & Friends viii. 124He pulled at the light cord, glanced at the clock.
1929Radio Times 8 Nov. 389/1They will sit at the[control]panel, flashing ‘*light cues’, fading and cross-fading studios.
1930L. HartmannTheatre Lighting iii. 37Light cues are written down during the progress of a rehearsal.
1961Bowman & BallTheatreLang.201Light cue.., the cue for the commencement of some planned change in illumination.
1901Chambers'sJrnl.Dec. 844/2Hospitals..have already obtained apparatus for the *light-cure of lupus.
1904DailyChron.11 Apr. 5/3Yesterday morning King Edward..paid a lengthy visit to Professor Finsen's light-cure institution.
1890A. M. ClerkeSyst.Stars viii. 116The *light-curve[of U Geminorum]takes more or less the form of a double peak with a saddle between.
1956AstrophysicalJrnl.CXXIII. 12The light-curve for the 1952 eclipse, as measured in the Sudan, is much flatter than the curves..from the 1947 observations.
1968Project Icarus (Mass.Inst.Technol.) i. 7The rate of rotation of an asteroid and the axis of its rotation can be found approximately by careful analysis of the shape and variation of its light curve.
1975Sci.Amer.Mar. 26/3The X-ray light curve of Centaurus X-3 is the curve of a typical eclipsing binary system.
1891W. SchlichMan.Forestry II. iv. 306As regards light-requirement it[sc. the Weymouth Pine]stands half-way between *light-demanders and shade-bearers.
1928R. S. TroupSilviculturalSyst.v. 67If the group system is applied to strong light-demanders, larger gaps would be necessary.
1966Times 21 Apr. 16/6Some trees are such emphatic light-demanders..that they will not thrive if there is any overhead shade.
1889W. SchlichMan.Forestry I. ii. 117Certain species[which]cannot thrive unless they enjoy a large measure of light throughout life..are called ‘*light demanding’.
1952H. L. EdlinForester'sHandbk.viii. 113Trees described as light-demanding will only succeed if grown in the open.
1964Oceanogr.& MarineBiol.II. 213In his[sc. Ernst's]opinion Udotea is a light demanding species[of green alga].
1839PennyCycl.XIII. 479/1*Light-dues are collected..upon ships frequenting our ports.
1860R. Bursell inMerc.MarineMag.VII. 4The Light dues..are one shilling per ton.
1793SmeatonEdystone L. §84The condition of their receiving the *light duties was that of maintaining a light.
1957M. B. PickenFashionDict.213/1*Lightfast.
1971Jrnl.Oil & Colour Chemists'Assoc.LIV. 847Bright red paints based on cadmium sulpho-selenide pigments, which are highly light-fast.
1913C. E. PellewDyes & Dyeing iii. 63The test for *light-fastness is usually made by partially covering a dyed skein with a piece of wood..and exposing it to direct sunlight.
1959B.S.I. News June 4/1The colour, colour-strength, transparency and light-fastness of these inks in terms of comparison with master standard inks.
1962J. T. MarshSelf-Smoothing Fabrics vi. 75Dimethylol dihydroxy ethylene urea appears to be quite outstanding in its effect on the light-fastness of dyed goods in general and those containing reactive dyes in particular.
1971Jrnl.Oil & Colour Chemists'Assoc.LIV. 857Better light-fastness of pigments, non-yellowing media..are thus seen to be important requirements.
c1000Ags.Gosp.John v. 35He wæs byrnende *leoht-fæt[Vulg lucerna]& lyhtende.
c1200Ormin 13399Þurrh Filippe onn Ennglissh iss Lihhtfattess muþ bitacnedd.
1901Chambers'sJrnl.June 367/2For use either in ortho⁓chromatic or colour photography, *light-filters..are now commercially produced.
1958NewnesCompl.Amat.Photogr.iv. 83The smaller increases in exposure needed when light-filters are employed.
1923T. Eaton & Co.Catal.Spring & Summer 357/5*Light fixture, for dining-room or living-room.
1939D. ParkerHere Lies 27He bought..storm-windows, and light-fixtures.
1889E. J. WallDict.Photogr.77*Light fog makes its appearance generally all over the plate.
1915Photo-Era XXXV. 170/1Plate and films must be loaded..with the utmost care to avoid light-fog.
1940Chambers'sTechn.Dict.449/1Light-fog (Photog.), fog in an emulsion, caused by intrusion of extraneous light into a camera or other apparatus which is intended to be light-tight.
1946Nature 6 July 18/1Wood..used the instrument in his charge for those types of astronomical observation for which it was eminently suitable by virtue of its short focal-length, large field of good definition and powerful *light-grasp.
1961Listener 7 Sept. 353/3For televising relatively faint objects, such as planets, it is necessary to use a powerful telescope with considerable light-grasp.
1951Jrnl.Sci.Instrum. XXVIII 188/1 (heading)A divided *light guide for coincidence counting of scintillations due to alpha particles.
Ibid.,A forked light guide was constructed from..Perspex rod.
1972Science 9 June 1128/1Luminescence was detected through a fiber-optic light guide.
1970O. DoppingComputers & Data Processing xi. 179An extension of the CRT terminal is the light pen, or *light gun, which can be used for identifying details in the picture displayed by the computer and even for making sketches which the computer can record.
1972Computers & Humanities VII. 5With the use of a light gun the linguist can select from alternative expansions in phrase structure trees.
1886Willis & ClarkCambridge III. 554A monial which branches over the *light⁓heads.
1793SmeatonEdystone L. §310They would fully instruct the person entered as *Light-keeper.
1860Merc.MarineMag.VII. 94Its base is surrounded by the light⁓keepers' dwellings.
1879E. WatertonPietas Mariana 85Lands given for this purpose were called lamp-lands and *light⁓lands.
1457Churchw.Acc.Yatton (Som.Rec.Soc.) 99For the *lytemen of Cleve..yrecevede iiii marke iis.
a1704T. BrownWks.(1760) IV. 255The midwife moon might mind her calling, And noisy lightman leave his bawling.
1889A. T. PaskEyes Thames 68Box-making, for which the Nore lightmen have been famous for years past.
1534Churchw.Acc.Yatton (Som.Rec.Soc.) 148Of John Wassborowe for *lygthmanshepe... vis. viijs.
1921GasJrnl.CLVI. 563/2Mr. Haydn T. Harrison next interested the members with a description of the ‘Benjamin’ *Lightmeter, which is a simple portable apparatus to measure illumination, and enable one to give intelligent and expert advice on factory lighting.
1943D. BakerTrio ii. 92A light-meter on a cord, some photographic lenses, an envelope full of negatives.
1973A. BroinowskiTake one Ambassador xiii. 211Peering at the light-meter reading on his Asahi Pentax.
1941*Light microscope[see electron microscopes.v.electron2 2 b].
1961Lancet 5 Aug. 295/1There are great difficulties in interpreting the shapes of these small chromosomes because they are almost at the limit of light-microscope resolution.
1672MarvellCorr.cci.Wks.1872–5 II. 399He will on his part give you the best security..from the time that the *light-mony shall begin to be payd.
1755N. MagensInsurances I. 518For Pilotage and Light-Money {pstlg}10 10.
1886E. SchuylerAmer.Diplom. 308Apart from the Sound dues themselves, there were charges of light-money, pass-money, etc., which caused a delay at Elsinore.
1899D. Sharp inCambr.Nat.Hist.VI. v. 259The structure of the *light organs[of Pyrophorus]is essentially similar to that of the Lampyridæ.
1928Russell & YongeSeas 192Some of these cuttlefish from the deep sea have over twenty light organs in various parts of the body.
1954N. B. MarshallAspects Deep SeaBiol.xi. 273May not some of the light organs which stud the body[of certain fishes]also attract prey?
1969R. F. ChapmanInsects vi. 86In most beetles the light organs are relatively compact.
1958Proc.IRE XLVI. 1123/1Narrow-based germanium photodiodes have been fabricated with intrinsic response times of less than 75 mµsec... They have been used with success in many applications among which are:..detector in a transistorized ‘*light pen’ for high-speed oscilloscope readout.
1964Discovery Oct. 53/2 (caption)Display console of a computer which illustrates actual graphs, characters and drawings stored within the machine in digital form. The operator can make corrections to the display with a ‘light pen’ which automatically corrects the stored information.
1966Sci.Amer.Sept. 95/2The stylus-photocell arrangement called the light pen can be used to make the cathode-ray-tube display serve for the manual input of sketches and diagrams.
1973Courier & Advertiser (Dundee) 21 Feb. 7/1The 280's light pen will ‘read’ information from colour bar coded tags and data from 48 terminals can be fed into a central data unit and recorded on magnetic tape ready for computer processing.
1885A. M. ClerkePop.Hist.Astron.199By its means the first solar *light-pictures of real value were taken.
1951Nucleonics Aug. 47/2The counter was made with a long *light pipe.
1961PhysicalRev.CXXIII. 1150/2A dielectric rod constitutes a waveguide (light pipe) and thus additional modes of propagation..are introduced.
1970New Scientist 13 Aug. 340/1Light can travel along a bundle of certain glass fibres—a light pipe.
1972Sci.Amer.Sept. 112/2Although light can be conducted through carefully fabricated pipes a centimeter or so in diameter with an attenuation of only a few decibels per kilometer..light pipes have the drawback that they must either be perfectly straight or be provided with optical means for bending the rays wherever the pipe bends.
1769FalconerDict.Marine (1780) Y y,Cantanettes, the *light-ports in the stern of a galley.
1867SmythSailor's Word-bk.,Light-port, a scuttle made for showing a light through. Also, a port in timber ships kept open until brought deep by cargo. It is then secured and caulked in.
1903Encycl.Brit.Index,*Light-pressure.
1908Westm.Gaz.23 Oct. 5/3There is also a small and sharply curved envelope on the side of the nucleus[of the comet]towards the sun, the presumption being that the matter ejected from the head in this direction is quickly turned back by the ‘light-pressure’ exerted by the sun.
1968R. A. LyttletonMysteries SolarSyst.v. 178With comminution of cometary particles occurring mainly on the perihelion side of the orbit, light-pressure will automatically select all those of appropriate size and expel them from the comet.
1925D. L. Thomson in J. A. ThomsonSci.&Relig.211It follows from the modern ‘Quantum Theory’..that there are ‘smallest-possible’ amounts of light, which we might call..*light-quanta.
1938R. W. Lawsontr.Hevesy & Paneth'sMan.Radioactivity (ed.2) ix. 105According to this hypothesis, the emission of β-radiation is not a unitary elementary process like the emission of a light quantum, but a dual process consisting of the simultaneous emission of an electron and a neutrino.
1948Sci.News VI. 75In the quantum theory a light signal cannot be sub-divided indefinitely, but consists of finite units, so-called light quanta, or ‘photons’.
1974Sci.Amer.Oct. 68/1Carbohydrates are the direct result of the photosynthetic activity of green plants... The energy needed to promote this reaction is provided by light quanta from the sun.
1769FalconerDict.Marine (1780),*Light-room,..it is used to contain the lights by which the gunner, and his assistants, are enabled to fill the cartridges with powder.
1803NavalChron.XV. 59Coppered the light room.
1825J. NicholsonOperat. Mechanic 805The Light-Room Floor, the 86th course of the building.
1875W. McIlwraithGuide Wigtownshire 112The light⁓room at the top[of the lighthouse].
1926H. C. MacphersonMod.Astron.iv. 64Dr. Wright, photographing Mars,..concluded that the Martian atmosphere was at least 120 miles in depth and possessed appreciable absorbing and *light-scattering power.
1935Trans.FaradaySoc.XXXI. 1324We may therefore conclude that the main factor in the light-scattering of an isotropic protein is the molecular weight of the protein and that its scattering power is a true measure of its molecular dimensions.
1965Peacocke & DrysdaleMolecular Basis Heredity iv. 34The hydrodynamic and light-scattering measurements both indicate that in solution its configuration is that of a stiffened coil, rather than that of a rigid rod or of a completely random coil.
1972Billingham & Jenkins in A. D. JenkinsPolymerSci.I. ii. 147Despite the complexity and expense of the technique, light scattering remains one of the most useful techniques for the determination of weight average molecular weights of polymers.
1895E. B. Titchener inAmer.Jrnl.Psychol.VII. 82Lichtempfindung, *light sensation.
1914Williams & Waterlowtr.Mach's Analysis of Sensations x. 211The habit of..giving attention to a large and spatially cohering mass of light-sensations.
1924R. M. Ogdentr.Koffka's Growth of Mind iii. §13. 134The most varied light-, dark-, and colour-sensations.
1937Discovery July 216/1The nature of light-sensation, colour-tone, colour-blindness.
1853RockCh.of Fathers III. ii. 110Each one according to the extent of land he had, should pay into his parish church..a certain quantity of wax under the name of *light-shot.
1966E. Denson inBerkeley Barb 1 Apr. 4/1Led by Tony Martin's *light show, which fills the huge wall behind the bands and their 30 foot row of amplifiers and electronics with red shapes shifting in time to the music, the hall is filled with swaying, writhing people.
1967Ramparts 9 Mar. 12/1The light show atmospheric technique of projecting slides and wild colors on the walls during rock dances.
1969It 11–24 Apr. 13/1If it is regarded that lightshows began when the ‘underground’ or ‘psychedelic’ revolutions began, then it is doubtful that lightshows will ever recover from the damage inflicted during the capitalists' rape of those movements.
1971E. E. LandyUndergroundDict.120Light shows are given in auditoriums, coffeehouses, etc. They are put on for the purpose of simulating a hallucinogenic experience.
1836N. P. WillisInklings of Adventure I. 206In another moment the *light stand was swept from between us, and he struck me down with a blow that would have felled a giant.
1867A. D. WhitneySummer in L. Goldthwaite's Life vi. 119On this little green stood..a round white-pine light-stand with her work-basket and a few books.
1966A. FeiningerCompl.Photographer iv. 154A boom extension arm that fits on a light stand is invaluable.
1953Aids to Navigation Manual (U.S.Coast Guard) xxix. 3/1The mission of a *light station is to service, tend, and maintain a light on a fixed structure.
1956NavigationDict.(U.S.NavalOceanogr.Office) 124/1Light station, a group of buildings including a lighthouse and additional buildings housing personnel, fog signal, radiobeacon, and any other equipment associated with the lighthouse.
1969Islander (Victoria,B.C.) 21 Dec. 16/1It was December 1934 at Pachena Point, a lonely lightstation on Vancouver Island's stormy west coast.
1971BahamianRev.Nov. 5/3Mrs. Pierre grew up on light stations, as her father was a light-keeper.
1884J. ParkerApost. Life III. 177*Light-struck, stunned, dazed, disabled.
1890Anthony'sPhotogr.Bull.III. 105Five or six[plates]..were too badly light-struck to show whether they had ever been exposed in the camera or not.
1884Athenæum 27 Dec. 864/3We..were doubtful whether the chamber[of the camera]was *light-tight.
1911T. E. LawrenceLet.31 Mar. (1938) 101How to render light-tight a dark slide.
1942R.A.F.Jrnl.2 May 13One of the..operators had just completed a spool, and my guide took it from her when she had fitted it into its light-tight case.
1970Jrnl.GeneralPsychol.LXXXII. 208Behind the opening were a slide holder and a 12 volt d.c. light, both enclosed in a light-tight housing.
1920A. S. EddingtonSpace, Time & Gravitation 12But then you must know the speed of the earth through the aether. It may have shortened the *light-time by going some way to meet the light coming from Arcturus.
1952AstrophysicalJrnl.CXVI. 211The problem of the determination of the light-time orbit will occur with increasing frequency as the observational data become more accurate and extend over greater stretches of time.
1968P. R. EscobalMethods Astrodynamics vi. 185 (heading)Light time correction.
1677R. CaryChronol.ii. i. xi. 120A Pharos or *Light-Tower.
1834L. RitchieWand. by Seine 39The light-towers of the Heve.
1906R. C. BayleyCompl.Photographer ix. 99Many otherwise efficient ventilating systems are rendered almost useless by the *light trap.
1931A. D. ImmsRecentAdv.Entomol.vi. 141In many countries practical entomologists have made use of light traps as a means for the quantitative attraction and destruction of noxious species of Lepidoptera.
1935H. W. & M. MilesInsect Pests Glasshouse Crops iii. 54Light-traps also attract the moths and might be used with advantage in cases of persistent infestation.
1965M. J. LangfordBasicPhotogr.xv. 266If..the darkroom is designed for entry or exit of staff without introducing light, some form of ‘light trap’ is essential.
1973Entomologist'sRec.LXXXV. 95On the night of May 19th I had an unusual, yet unfortunate, bonus of moths in my light trap.
1956FocalEncycl.Photogr.677/1Many darkrooms..have *light-trapped entrances so that the staff can pass freely in and out while sensitized materials are being handled.
1958NewnesCompl.Amat.Photogr.iv. 75The leading end of the film projects through a light-trapped slit, ready for loading into the camera.
1956FocalEncycl.Photogr.680/1Exposure values, as used on shutters, are also frequently referred to as *light values.
1957T. L. J. BentleyMan.Miniature Camera (ed.5) iv. 46As the latest development in the between-lens type of shutter has come the so-called light-value shutter.
1958NewnesCompl.Amat.Photogr.ii. 38The light-value shutter is a modern device..designed to make speed and aperture setting more easy, and making use of the light value system.
1970Which? June 186/2You then point the meter at the subject and the needle will move along the light value scale... On some meters, instead of transferring the light value from one scale to another, you move a pointer until it overlaps the needle.
1928Trans.Soc.MotionPict.Engin.XII. 730 (heading)Sound recording with the *light valve.
1932Discovery July 234/2Three light valves (each a specially developed form of Kerr cell) modulated the beams from the arcs.
1971L. B. HappéBasic MotionPict.Technol.v. 165In variable density recording the intensity of illumination passing into this lens system from a lamp and condenser lens is modulated by a light valve consisting of a pair of narrow metal ribbons mounted under tension in a magnetic field at right angles to the direction of the film movement.
1858Merc.MarineMag.V. 126A *Light-vessel has been moored in 3 fathoms.
1925V. G. ChildeDawn European Civilization v. 82The palace was probably provided with a *light-well and decorated with frescoes.
1958Listener 23 Oct. 644/1The nineteenth-century office block, with the quiet internal lawn shrunk to the scale of the light-well.
1888Athenæum 27 Oct. 558/2The distances in *light-years of the last two stars.
1890C. A. YoungElem.Astron.xii. §433It is better, and now usual, to take as the unit of stellar distance the so-called ‘light year’;i.e.the distance light travels in a year, which is about 63,000 times the distance of the earth from the sun.
1949A. HuxleyLet.26 Feb. (1969) 593Hubble..showed us the first pictures taken by the 200 inch telescope... On the random sample selected, the nebulae went on with uniform density to a billion lightyears.
1957I. AsimovNaked Sun (1958) i. 22That..momentary transition through hyperspace that transferred a ship and all it contained from one point in space to another, light-years away.
1962F. I. Ordwayet al. Basic Astronautics vi. 289 (caption)Known stars within five parsecs (16½ light years) of the Sun.
1971Guardian 22 July 11/4Professor Peter Hungerford..said..abortions should be the decision of the mother alone. This is light years from FPA policy.
1973A. HoldenGirl on Beach 143He really is..a spare-time amateur art critic, light-years removed from a creative artist.
b.Astr.Combs.modelled on light-year, denoting the distance travelled by light in the time specified; so light-day, light-minute, etc.1923G. D. BirkhoffRelativity &Mod.Physics ii. 20Since it required (t2-t1)/2 seconds for the light to travel from the one particle to the other, B must have been at a distance of x=(t2-t1)/2 ‘light-seconds’ from A at the time t.
1925D. L. Thomson in J. A. ThomsonSci.&Relig.215A light year is over five million million miles, and the sun is only eight-and-a-half light minutes from the earth.
1963Nature 18 May 651/2If the flashes are real, either the optical source itself is of the order of light-days in size, or..it must contain substructures of this scale.
1964AstrophysicalJrnl.CXL. 15Consider a region one light-month.i.e., 7 × 1016 cm, in radius.
Ibid.,A maximum flash duration of only a few hours is possible for a region a light-month in radius.
1970Sci.Amer.Dec. 25/3The rapid changes in flux imply that if quasi-stellar objects are as remote as their red shifts indicate, they must have diameters reckoned in light-months, or even less. This means that such objects are on a scale only slightly larger than that of our solar system, which is about one light-day in diameter.
Add:[12.]b.Hairdressing.=high lightn.1 b.1963‘N. Dunn’Up Junction 22We go into the chemist. ‘I want a black rinse, please, with blue lights in it.’
1967N. FreelingStrike Out 27Brown hair with blonde lights.
1979J. RathboneJoseph i. xiii. 130Her darkish hair had coppery lights in it.
1995Hair Apr.–May 24/1 (caption)Be bold with colour... Choose a full head application or ask about high, low or slicing techniques that give reflective lights to natural colourings.
[16.]light-emitting diode Electronics=LEDn.1968Electronics World Jan. 36 (heading)*Light-emitting diode.
1978Pasachoff & KutnerUniversityAstron.ix. 271Gallium production..is used in many solid state devices including the light-emitting diodes (LED's) that form the digits on most pocket calculators and digital watches.
1986Sci.Amer.Oct. 52/2The light source is a semiconductor laser or a light-emitting diode.
▸ colloq.to punch (also knock, etc.) (a person's) lights out: to knock (a person) unconscious (cf.sense 1i); to strike (a person) with great force.1966F. ElliRiot 74Don't talk parole to me. I'll punch your lights out.
1987G. Carter & J. HoughDream Season vii. 101I'm not one of those guys who will fly into a white rage and try to punch somebody's lights out.
1995Washington Post (Electroniced.) a1I'm going to knock his lights out when I see him.
2003Guardian (Nexis) 28 June (WeekendSuppl.) 10The constant repetition of ‘Om’ can help to induce a trance-like state—either because your brain has settled down or because your flatmate has just punched your lights out.
▪ II.light,a.1|laɪt|Forms: 1 léoht, liht, Northumb.leht, 2–4 liht(e, 3 Orm. lihht, (4 lixt, lyht, lit), 4–5 liȝt(e, lyȝt(e, 4–6 lyght(e, 4–7 Sc.licht, lycht, (5 leyȝt, 6 leicht, lyȝt, lyȝth, liht), 4– light.[OE.léoht, lī̆ht,Northumb.lē̆ht=OFris.li(u)cht,OS.*lîht implied in derivatives (Du.licht),OHG.lîht(i (MHG.lîht,mod.G. leicht),ON.léttr (Da.let,Sw.lätt),Goth.leihts:—OTeut.*liŋhto-(-tjo-),f.Teut.root *liŋgw-:—pre-Teut. *leñghw-, as inLith.leŋgvas light; the ablaut-var. pre-Teut. *lŋghw-,Teut.*luŋgw-, appears inSkr.laghu,Gr.ἐλαϕρός light, ἐλαχύς small,OHG.lungar light;cf.also lung.]I.In the primary physical sense and uses connected therewith.1. a.Of little weight, not ponderous. The opposite of heavy. Also in to lie light (cf.heavy 1 b, c). light ice, light sails(seequots.1867).a1000Riddles xli. 76 (Gr.)Leohtre ic eom micle þonne þes lytla wyrm.
c1205Lay.5903Heore wepnen weoren lihte.
1393Langl.P. Pl. C. ii. 152Was neuere lef vp-on lynde lyghter þer-after.
c1470HenryWallace iii. 85Gude lycht harnes, fra that tyme, wsyt he euir.
14..Promp. Parv. 304/1 (MS.K.)Liht of wyhte, (P.) light of weight or mesure.
1534TindaleMatt.xi. 30My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
1596Dalrympletr.Leslie'sHist.Scot.i. 90Al thair harnesse was lycht.
1613J. DennisSecrets Angling i. C 2 b,Rods[were made]of lightest Cane and Hazell plant.
1642FullerHoly & Prof.St.ii. xix. 121Watches have been made as light and little, as many that wore them make of their time.
1697DrydenVirg.Past. x. 51How light wou'd lye the Turf upon my Breast, If[etc.].
1762FalconerShipwr. ii. 97The lighter sails, for summer winds and seas, Are now dismiss'd.
1795BurkeCorr.IV. 325It[wheat]will be very light in the ear.
1867SmythSailor's Word-bk.,Light ice, that which has but little depth in the water; it is not considered dangerous to shipping, as not being heavy.
Ibid.,Light sails, all above the topgallant⁓sails; also the studding sails and flying jib.
1871R. Ellistr.Catullus lxiv. 64Veils not her hidden breast light brede of drapery woven.
absol.1509HawesPast. Pleas. xxiv. (PercySoc.) 108Of the eyen the offyce only is the syght, To se..The whyte, or blacke, the hevy, or the lyght.
1659StanleyHist.Philos.III. ii. 105Touching judgeth many things, Heavy, Leight, and those that are between them.
1875JowettPlato (ed.2) I. 24The art of weighing, again, has to do with lighter and heavier.
Proverb.1562J. HeywoodProv.& Epigr. (1867) 151Light geynes make heuy purses.
1775S. J. PrattLiberal Opin. cxvi. (1783) IV. 82He..swore..that I should not leave him till his purse was as light as eleven-pence.
b.Deficient in weight (‘too light’); below the standard or legal weight.1589NottinghamRec.IV. 226For chaungeinge of fowre light French Crownes.
1596Shakes.Merch.V. iv. i. 328Be it so much As makes it light or heauy in the substance Or the deuision of the twentieth part of one poore scruple.
1622MalynesAnc.Law-Merch. 115Light Gold taken for merchandises sold.
1700TyrrellHist.Eng.II. 947All Clipt and Light Money was called in.
1727BoyerFr.Dict.s.v.,This Guinea is light.
1869TennysonHoly Grail 26For good ye are and bad, and like to coins, Some true, some light.
1887T. E. Thorpe inGd.Words 400There is about {pstlg}50,000,000 of light gold in circulation.
2. a.Possessing little weight in proportion to bulk; of small specific gravity. In the 17th and 18th centuries often applied to water.1559W. CuninghamCosmogr. Glasse 41It is a generall maior among Philosophers, that al light thynges contend upwarde.
1621BurtonAnat.Mel. ii. ii. i. i. (1651) 232Pure, thin, light water by all means use.
1632LithgowTrav.vi. 260It is the lightest water the earth yeelds..I found it so light, that I had no weight..in the bearing of it.
1683MoxonMech.Exerc., Printing 383Founders call their Ashes Lean, if they are Light; because then they have little Mettle in them.
1683TryonWay to Health vi. (1697) 100This is the lightest of all Waters, it cools and heats quickly.
1726LeoniAlberti'sArchit.I. 6/1The best Water is clear, transparent and light.
a1728WoodwardFossils i. (1729) I. 13The Earthy matter, that was softer and lighter, would be easily washed away.
1838T. ThomsonChem.Org.Bodies 504The charcoal is light and brilliant.
1846J. BaxterLibr.Pract.Agric.(ed.4) I. 373The seeds of the different grasses naturally divide themselves into light and heavy seeds.
1868LockyerElem.Astron.iii. §10 (1879) 59Hydrogen, the lightest gas.
1876HarleyMat.Med.(ed.6) 184Light magnesia is obtained by the same process from the light carbonate of magnesia.
absol.a1619M. FotherbyAtheom. ii. xi. §1. 309æqually compounded of Light, and Heauie.
b.Applied to elements whose specific gravity (or atomic number) is relatively low; light metal, a metal of low specific gravity,esp.aluminium or magnesium; so light alloy, an alloy based on such a metal.1912Rosenhain & Archbutt inProc.Inst.Mech.Engin.Apr. 323It was decided in the first place to confine the investigations to alloys consisting principally of aluminium, which may be conveniently grouped under the term ‘light alloys’.
1924Proc.PhysicalSoc.XXXVI. 418The other light elements, hydrogen, helium, lithium, carbon and oxygen gave no detectable effect beyond 7 cm.
1926Industr.&Engin.Chem.Oct. 1016/1The production of the light metals has only been rendered possible by the comparatively recent work of chemists and chemical engineers.
1936R. P. Belltr.Bjerrum'sInorg.Chem.213The metals fall naturally into two groups: the light metals with densities below four, and the heavy metals with densities above seven. The light metals are the most electropositive,i.e., they have a specially great tendency to form positive ions.
Ibid.,The light metals react readily with many substances.
1948‘N. Shute’No Highway i. 12,I couldn't find anything about light alloy structures in fatigue prior to the year 1927.
1949A. J. Fieldtr.A. von Zeerleder'sTechnol.Light Metals i. 1There is at the present time no standard value of this property[sc. specific gravity]recognized as a qualification for the title ‘light metal’.
1959TimesRev.Industry Apr. 55/1Reorganization within the light-metal industries.
1962Appl.Spectrosc.XVI. 162/1The data..show the great advantage of using a chromium target tube for light element analysis.
Ibid.159/1Light elements are defined as those elements having an atomic number less than 25.
1969Jane's Freight Containers 1968–69 533/1Containers: non-standard collapsible light-alloy.
†3.In comparative: Delivered (of a child).a1300Cursor M. 8593On a night bath lighter war þai.
c1330R. BrunneChron.(1810) 310On wherfe þer scho was & lighter of a sonne.
c1560inDepos.Rebell.1569 (Surtees) 61The morrow after the said Charles wyf was lighter.
1596Dalrympletr.Leslie'sHist.Scot.ii. 138Our quene is instantlie lychter of a bony barne.
a1783Willie's Lady viii. in Child Ballads I. 86Of her young bairn she'll neer be lighter.
4. a.Bearing a small or comparatively small load. Of a vessel: Having a small burthen, or (the usual sense) unladen, without cargo. (Cf.heavy a. 4.) light engine(seequot.1881). light line=light water-line. light railway: a railway constructed for light traffic. light porter: one who carries only light packages. light water-draught, light water-line(seequot.1867).1602inRec.Convent.R. Burghs (1870) II. 133Quither the schip be laydnit or licht.
c1630MiltonOn University Carrier 22He di'd for heavines that his Cart went light.
1665Lond.Gaz.No.11/1The Norwich sent in one of near Three hundred Tuns, a light Ship.
1703Lond.Gaz.No.3968/1The Privateer being light and clean, came up with her about 4 in the afternoon.
1729MoretonApparit. 213The Ship was sent light as they call it to Virginia for a loading of tobacco.
1794Nelson in NicolasDisp. (1845) II. 220To allow light Swedes to leave the Port of Leghorn.
1835Mech.Mag.XXII. 275When the vessel is light, the speed of the wheels is increased.
1854DickensHard T. ii. i. 135A deaf serving-woman, and the light porter completed Mrs. Sparsit's empire.
1867SmythSailor's Word-bk.,Light water-draught, the depth of water, which a vessel draws when she is empty, or nearly so. Light water-line, the line showing the depression of the ship's body in the water, when just launched, or quite unladen.
1868Act 31 & 32Vict.c. 119 §28A light Railway shall be constructed and..the Regulations..shall not authorize a greater Weight than Eight Tons to be brought upon the Rails by any One Pair of Wheels.
1881M. ReynoldsEngine-Driving Life 111A ‘light engine’—a phrase in railway circles that means an engine alone, without a train.
1894W. H. WhiteMan.NavalArchit.(ed.3) 47The displacement of a ship between her light and load lines could be estimated, and would give the true ‘dead-weight capability’.
1923Man.Seamanship (Admiralty) II. 270The portion of the ship's bottom, between the light and loadline, termed the tapboot, is difficult to protect from corrosion.
1948R. de KerchoveInternat.MaritimeDict.416/2Light line, the line of immersion at which a vessel floats when in ballast draft or light trim.
b.fig.or in figurative context.1768HumeBalance of PowerEss.198The Athenians always threw themselves into the lighter scale, and endeavoured to preserve the balance.
a1774Goldsm.tr.Scarron'sCom.Romance (1775) I. 321Laden with years, and so extremely light of honesty, that[etc.].
c.light industry: an industry making use of relatively light and therefore easily handled materials. (Cf.heavy a.1 5 b)1921San FranciscoChron.20 Sept. 22/1There may be maintained in a Commercial District..Light Industries, clearly incidental to the operation of an Amusement Park.
1930Economist 1 Nov. (Russ.Suppl.) 8/2Only 22 percent.is allotted to the building and equipment of factories devoted to ‘light’ industries.
1944J. S. HuxleyOn Living in Revolution 128Encouragement must be given to light and secondary industries, for only so can a reasonably balanced economy grow up in colonial areas.
1957[see heavy a.1 5 b].
1961E. A. PowdrillVocab.Land Planning iv. 66‘Light industry’ is any industry which does not commit a nuisance by noise, smell, fumes, soot or grit.
1974E. AmblerDr. Frigo iii. 156The transformation he envisaged—roads, housing,..hydro-electric schemes, light industry, fertiliser plants.
5.Chiefly Mil.Lightly armed or equipped.†Also, lightly clad. light marching order(seequot.1825). Also light horse, horseman.c1386ChaucerCan. Yeom.Prol.& T. 15Al light for somer rood this worthy man.
1600HollandLivy vii. x. 255A light footmans shield he takes unto him.
1633T. StaffordPac. Hib. iii. iii. (1810) 527Captaine Taffes troop of Horse with certaine light foote were sent from the campe.
1781GibbonDecl. & F. xviii. II. 111He was overtaken..by a party of light cavalry.
1808Med.Jrnl.XIX. 305His Majesty's 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons.
1813Wellington inGurw.Desp. X. 527,I shall be with the Light division in the morning.
1825G. R. GleigSubaltern iii. 48The division was to enter the trenches..in what is called light marching order; that is, leaving their knapsacks, blankets, &c., behind, and carrying with them only their arms and ammunition.
1838ThirlwallGreece xx. III. 161To send a body of Thracian cavalry and light troops to the aid of the Athenians.
1846GreenerSci.Gunnery 393Carbines, for some light infantry regiments.
1871R. Ellistr.Catullus xxviii. 2Starving company, troop of hungry Piso, Light of luggage, of outfit expeditious.
1879FroudeCæsar xvi. 265The legions had come light, without tents or baggage.
1891C. RobertsAdriftAmer.49To travel in America one must travel light.
6. a.Of a vehicle or vessel: Lightly constructed; adapted for light loads and for swift movement. light cart=‘spring cart’(seecartn.3). light car, a small economical car made from light materials.c893K. ælfredOros. i. i. §19Hy habbað swyðe lytle scypa & swyðe leohte.
1579FentonGuicciard. i. (1599) 28It contayned xxxv. light or suttle gallies.
1694Lond.Gaz.No.3008/1The Mareschal de Tourville had sent out divers light Frigats..to get Intelligence.
1716Ibid.No.5473/1The lighter part of the..Fleet,viz.Gallies &c. was in thePort.
1844DisraeliConingsby vii. i,The arrival of a first-rate light coach in a country town.
1849MacaulayHist.Eng.ix. II. 480Light vessels sent out by the English admiral for the purpose of obtaining intelligence.
1852ThackerayEsmond i. xiii,My Lord Mohun sent to London for a light chaise he had.
1882M. E. BraddonMt.Royal III. i. 15You had better go in the light cart.
1908Westm.Gaz.16 Mar. 5/2This being essentially a light-car year, more than ordinary interest is manifested in the 8-h.p. two-cylindered polished chassis.
1914Light Car Manual 1Manufacturers have..solved the difficulty of how to produce a car which shall give all the comfort anyone could desire, and yet..compare favourably with the cost.. of a motorcycle and side-car. The whole secret of this solution is summed up in the words ‘light car’.
1963[see fore-car (fore- 5)].
1970C. F. CaunterLight Car (ed.2) p. xv,The popularity of the light car, particularly in its minicar form, had the effect in the 1960's of reducing the average size of motor cars in general.
b.Applied to small, relatively light-weight aeroplanes, such as most private (non-commercial) passenger aeroplanes.1923Flight XV. 168/1For want of a better term we have referred to the machine as a ‘light plane’, much as in the automobile world cars below a certain size and weight are termed light cars.
1933MeccanoMag.Mar. 192/1Light aeroplanes will fly to and from these places from the main routes.
1965Nayler & OwerAviation v. 56/1The Piper Aircraft Corporation led the world in the sales of light aircraft in 1959.
1971P. J. McMahonAircraft Propulsion xi. 331Occasionally designers of light aircraft look to the possibilities of using automobile type engines as power units.
1971Flying (N.Y.) Apr. 39/2In fact, it may well be the best all-around lightplane in the world.
7.Of a building: Having an appearance suggestive of lightness; graceful and elegant in form.1762H. WalpoleVertue'sAnecd.Paint. (1765) II. i. 37 note,One of the lightest and most beautiful parish churches I have seen.
1818[see heavy a. 15].
1837PennyCycl.VII. 218/1Unless[etc.]..such timber model would have given rise to a much lighter style of architecture.
1850Gloss.Archit.(ed.5) 439Small light spires.
II.Having the operation or properties of things of little physical weight.8.Having little momentum or force; gentle, not violent; acting gently; moving, impelling, or manipulating something without heavy pressure or violence. Saidesp.of the hand, a step, the wind,†a medicine, or medical appliance (obs.), andoccas.of immaterial agencies. Also light of touch.a1000Widsith 72 (Gr.)Se hæfde moncynnes..leohteste hond.
a1225Ancr. R. 220Uour dolen, þus todeled—uondunge liht & derne—uondunge liht & openliche—uondunge strong & derne—uondunge strong & openliche.
c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 88Þese ben liȝt medicyns..& þese medicyns ben strongere.
Ibid.92Þer is noon oþer wey, but a liȝt cauterization of þe senewe þat is hurt.
1591Shakes.1Hen.VI, i. iv. 69This Citie must be famisht, or with light Skirmishes enfeebled.
1592―Ven. & Ad. 566Waxe..yeelds at last to euerie light impression.
1765FooteCommissary ii.Wks.1799 II. 22There are risings and sinkings..as light as a cork.
1797Mrs. RadcliffeItalian xii,Ellena fled with lighter steps along the alley.
1833H. MartineauLoom & Lugger i. iv. 51The lightest of her shriller tones made itself heard.
1836MarryatMidsh. Easy xxvii,A tedious passage, from baffling and light winds.
1849RuskinSev.Lamps v. §8. 144A painter's light execution of a background.
1856G. J. Whyte-MelvilleKate Cov. iii,Gertrude..brushing away..at my back hair, and pulling it unnecessarily hard: no maid ever yet had a ‘light’ hand.
1863WoolnerMy beautiful Lady 16Though her hand be airy light Of touch.
1876Geo.Eliot Dan.Der. IV. lxii. 229His light walk.
1885Law TimesRep.LIII. 54/1There was a light breeze from aboutS.W.by S.
1897Allbutt'sSyst.Med.IV. 413Inter⁓current inflammations should be treated on general principles but with a light hand.
1901Brit.Med.Jrnl.5 Jan. 8When the extent of the cardiac dulness has been determined by careful light percussion[etc.].
9. a.Having little density, tenacity, or cohesive force. Of soil: Friable, porous, workable. Of a cloud: Fleecy, vaporous, evanescent.1523Fitzherb.Husb.§4They[wheel-ploughs]be good on euen grounde that lyeth lyghte.
1707MortimerHusb.106The common sort of white Pea doth best in a light Land that is somewhat rich.
1806GazetteerScot.(ed.2) 262The district of Glenlivet is remarkably fertile, the soil being a light loam.
1816ByronSiegeCor.xxi,There is a light cloud by the moon.
1823J. BadcockDom. Amusem. 60Sand..generally prevails to the amount of one half in light soils.
1860TyndallGlac.i. xxvii. 208Some of the lighter clouds doubled round the summit of the mountain.
1897M. KingsleyW. Africa 606A dull roar which made the light friable earth quiver under our feet.
b.Of bread, pastry, etc.: That has ‘risen’ properly, not ‘heavy’ or dense.c1460J. RussellBk.Nurture 339Þan take youre loof of light payne.
1578W. BulleinDial.(1888) 51Eate light leauened breade.
1620VennerVia Recta i. 20The fourth property is, that it[bread]be light, and somewhat open.
1747H. GlasseCookery (1767) 145Make it up into a light paste with cold water..; then roll it out.
Ibid.,Skim off..as much of the liquor as will make it a light good crust.
1864Mrs. StoweHouse & Home Papers x. (1865) 112Bread: What ought it to be? It should be light, sweet, and tender.
c1895N. Midl. School CookeryBk.44To make a light dough.
10.Of food or drink: That does not lie heavy on the stomach; easy of digestion. Of wine, beer, etc.: Containing little alcohol.c1000Ags.Voc.inWr.-Wülcker 282/6Melle dulci, leoht beor.
c1000Sax.Leechd.III. 122Drince leoht wyn.
1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 241For yf a man ette fryste grete mettes and sethyn lyght mettis, the lyght mettis shal be annone defyet.
c1510Interl.FourElem.(Percy) 23Canst get my mayster a dyshe of quales, Smal byrdes, swalowes or wagtayles. They be lyght of dygestyon?
1542UdallErasm. Apoph. 9A light repaste, suche as the bodie maye easyly and without incommoditee awaye withall.
1620VennerVia Recta iii. 69The lights are of light digestion.
1693CongreveDryden's Juvenal xi. 128Apples..Mellow'd by Winter, from their cruder Juice, Light of Digestion now, and fit for Use.
1707J. Stevenstr.Quevedo'sCom.Wks.(1709) 82Don Diego took a light Supper.
1822–34Good's StudyMed.(ed.4) I. 675 note,The lighter preparations of bark..are often found to be eligible tonics in hectic cases.
1832LyttonEugene A. i. xi,The little family were assembled at the last and lightest meal of the day.
1880McCarthyOwn Times III. xli. 238The light wines of Bordeaux began to be familiar to almost every table.
1896Allbutt'sSyst.Med.I. 418Rice and sago and such like puddings are not light or easily digestible foods.
1898J. Hutchinson inArch.Surg.IX. 316Beer, which you would think was lighter[than stout].
11.light in the mouth (of a horse): sensitive to the bit. (Cf.heavy a. 11.)1727Bailey vol. II,Light upon the Hand[in Horsemanship]is said of a Horse that has a good tractable Mouth, and does not rest too heavy upon the Bit.
1884E. L. AndersonMod.Horsemanship i. iv. 11The beginner should be mounted upon a quiet horse that is light in the mouth.
12.Of a syllable: Unemphatic, of little weight or sonorousness. Hence, of rhythm, consisting largely of such syllables.1887ColvinKeats v. 109A perverse persistency in ending his heroic lines with the lightest syllables—prepositions, adverbs and conjunctions—on which neither pause nor emphasis is possible.
1901BridgesMilton's Prosody 90Keeping therefore the term short, as it is used in the prosody of the Greeks, for the very shortest syllables, it is necessary to make two classes of their long syllables; and these I shall distinguish into heavy and light.
Ibid.96The greater part of the poem is in a lighter rhythm.
III.Of little gravity or moment.13. a.Of small importance or consequence, not weighty; slight, trivial. Of a sin: Venial.c897K. ælfredGregory's Past. lxii. (heading),Ðætte hwilum ða leohtan scylda bioð beteran to forlætenne.
a1300Cursor M. 23021Þai þat has bot sinnes light sal clengid be.
a1340HampolePsalter xxiv. 4Godis wayes he calles his lightere biddyngis.
c1400Destr. Troy 1424Light harmes Let ouer-passe.
c1430LifeSt.Kath. (GibbsMS.) lf. 100Presume not to blaber aȝenst oure goddes by lythe repreef.
1500–20DunbarPoems xxii. 51,I grant my seruice is bot licht.
1563WinȝetFour Scoir Thre Quest.Wks.1888 I. 52Breuelie considering the first part of thair titill to this thair supreme auctoritie, I fand it nocht only sclinder and licht, bot planelie inglorius.
1570G. HarveyLetter-bk. (Camden) 8,I made but smal & liht account of mi fellowship.
1603KnollesHist.Turks (1621) 51Proscribing..whole families together, yea and that for light occasions.
a1661FullerWorthies (1840) III. 308Not only all evil doing, but even the lightest suspicions thereof.
1742CollinsOdePoet.Char.1,If not with light regard, I read aright that gifted bard.
1753N. TorrianoGangr. Sore Throat 89The Disease began with a light Shivering.
1772JuniusLett.lxviii. 338This is no light matter.
1849MacaulayHist.Eng.ii. I. 161Against the lighter vices the ruling faction waged war.
1866B. NorthYes or No! xii. 269It was what the world calls a venial or light sin.
1871SmilesCharac.i. (1876) 25They will be held in light esteem by other nations.
1897Allbutt'sSyst.Med.III. 476Windy tumidities..and therewith light diarrhœas are often associated.
†b.Of small value, cheap. Of a price: Low. Also light cheap=cheap a.andadv.(Cf.cheapn.8, 9.) Obs.c1330R. BrunneChron.(1810) 246This Rescamiraduk..His letter gan rebuk, sette it at light prise.
c1460TowneleyMyst.ii. 236That cam hym full light chepe.
c1470Golagros & Gaw. 158Thare come ane laithles leid air to this place, With ane girdill ourgilt, and vthir light gere.
1609Bible (Douay)1 Kings x. 15Al that sold light wares.
1641TrappTheol.Theol.267That it comes to us so light cheap, is cause of thankfullnesse.
1647―Comm.1 John iii. 18Words are light-cheap, and there is a great deal of mouth-mercy abroad.
†c.Of persons: Not commanding respect by position or character; of small account. Obs.1529MoreDyaloge i.Wks.175/1,I might by a light person somtime knowe a muche more substanciall man.
1548HallChron.,Hen.VI, 169 b,Diverse other light marchantes within the citee.
1548―Chron.,Hen.VII, 19He set more by vile borne vileyns and light persones, then by the princes and nobles.
d.Used predicatively or absol.in various phrases:†(a) to set (a person or thing) light, at light; to set light by or of (a person or thing): to account of small value, to despise, slight, undervalue. to let light of(seelet v.1 16). Obs.c1475Rauf Coilȝear 635Be Christ, said the Coilȝear, I set that bot licht.
Ibid.740He was ludgeit and led, and set at sa licht.
1540R. Hyrdetr.Vives'Instr.Chr.Wom. (1592) Z vj,Nor set at light a childes yeeres and age.
1547Homilies i. Fear Death ii. (1859) 98Let us not set at light the chastising of the Lord.
1594T. B.La Primaud.Fr.Acad.ii. 132We ought not to set light by that knowledge of it[the soule]which wee may attaine vnto.
1612Sir H. Mountagu inBuccleuchMSS.(Hist.MSS.Comm.) I. 244My Lord of Exeter chafes; I tell them we set it as light.
1633G. HerbertTemple, Sacrifice xx,Herod and all his bands do set me light.
1642J. EatonHoney-c. FreeJustif.240Thereby the words of the Scripture may be extenuated and set light of.
1771WesleyWks.(1872) V. 317It is no other than betraying him..to set light by any part of his law.
1810ScottLady of L. i. xxiii,Light I held his prophecy.
(b)to make light of: to treat, consider or represent as of small or no importance.1526TindaleMatt.xxii. 5They made light of it and went their wayes.
1531ElyotGov.i. xiii,Or if he be stungen he maketh lite of it and shortly forgetteth it.
1597BaconCoulers Good & Euil in Ess.(Arb.) 150If it appeare to be done by a sonne, or by a wife, or by a neere friend, then it is made light of.
1698FryerAcc.E. India & P. 311The Natives make light of such things as we call Colds.
1736ButlerAnal.ii. i.Wks.1874 I. 170How great presumption it is, to make light of any institutions of Divine appointment.
1767GoochTreat.Wounds I. 236A Barber-Surgeon was called to her, who made very light of it[a slight wound].
1815Jane AustenEmma i. xvi. 116Making light of what ought to be serious.
1898H. CalderwoodHume iii. 31A tendency to make light of reason.
14. a.Characterized by levity, frivolous, unthinking. Const.†of.a1225Leg.Kath. 106Þeos lufsume lefdi..ne luuede heo nane lihte plohen.
a1300Cursor M. 3285Ne was sco not o letes light.
Ibid.28568Laghter light þat cums of gle.
1340HampolePr.Consc.3346Sum dros of syn, Als light speche, or thoght in vayn.
1375BarbourBruce vii. 112Licht men and vauerand.
1461PastonLett.No.405 II. 31The Commynnes throw all the schyer be movyd agayn hym, for cause of his lyght demeanyng towards them.
1483CaxtonGold.Leg.256/2A monke moche Joly and lyght of his lyuyng.
1536D. BeerleyLet.toLd.Cromwell in Strype Eccl.Mem.I. xxxv. 257Lyzth and foolish ceremonies made..[by]lyzth and undiscrete faders.
1554T. MartinTreat.Marriage Priestes LI iij,Being (as some were), light braines, runnagates, vnthriftes and riotours.
1571GrindalInjunct. York i. §1Being circumspect, that you offende no man eyther by light behauiour or by light apparell.
1610J. GuillimHeraldry i. viii. (1660) 45If light eares incline to light lips, harm ensueth.
1631SandersonSerm.II. 3A sober grave matron..will never be light and garish.
1641Vind.Smectymnuus 31It never came into our thoughts to use a light expression.
1692Washingtontr.Milton'sDef.Pop.M.'sWks.1738 I. 469Was there ever any thing more light and mad than this Man is?
1713SteeleEnglishmanNo.27. 176Publick Faith is now commonly talked of in the lightest manner.
1754RichardsonGrandison IV. xxxv. 245The light wretch's as light expression.
1823ScottPeveril x,The disposition of the young Earl was lighter and more volatile than that of Julian.
1834J. H. NewmanPar.Serm.(1837) I. xxiii. 354That light perpetual talk about him.
1856Mrs. BrowningAur. Leigh iii. 319,I wrote tales beside..To suit light readers.
1875JowettPlato (ed.2) I. 58They speak of friends in no light or trivial manner.
1882StevensonNewArab.Nts. (1901) 86/2,I made some light rejoinder.
b.Of persons (chiefly of women) and their behaviour: Wanton, unchaste.c1375Sc.Leg.Saints xxxv. (Thadee) 3Thadee..licht women wes & richt brukil of hyre flesche.
1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 144Vntrewe men and light women of body.
1581LylyEuphues To SchollersOxf.(Arb.) 208Did not Iupiters egge bring forth..Helen a light huswife.
1676WycherleyPl. Dealer iv. i,To give up her Honour to save her Jointure; and seem to be a light Woman, rather than marry.
1826ScottWoodst. iii,Lewd men and light women.
1883R. W. DixonMano ii. v. 82For nought beside vain dalliance cared they, And their light folly was before our eyes.
1895T. HardyJude ii. vi. 144Jude..found the room full of..soldiers..and light women.
IV.Having the quick action that results from lightness.15.Moving readily; active, nimble, quick, swift. So light of foot, light of person; †light-fingers (cf.light-fingered); †light to run (cf.light-footed). Now only arch.a1000Phœnix 317 (Gr.)He[se fuᵹel]is snel and swift & swiþe leoht.
c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.13Þat man be waker, and liht, and snel.
1297R.Glouc.(Rolls) 9277Welssemen..þat liȝte were & hardi.
a1300Cursor M. 3730Moght i not be sua light o fote.
1375BarbourBruce xiii. 56Fiff hundreth armyt weill in steill, That on licht horss war[horsyt]weill.
14..Voc.inWr.-Wülcker 577/14Currax, lyght to renne.
1470–85MaloryArthur iv. ix. 130Syr Accolon lost not a dele of blood, therfor he waxt passynge lyghte.
1480CaxtonChron.Eng.cxxi. 102He was so lyght of fote that men callyd hym comenlych harold hare foote.
1503DunbarThistle & Rose 95Lusty of schaip, lycht of deliuerance.
a1548HallChron.,Edw.IV, 213 b,That diverse persones havyng light horses, should skoure the countrey.
1567Satir. Poems Reform. iii. 70To dance that nycht thay said sho sould not slak, With leggis lycht to hald the wedow walkane.
1583T. StockerCiv. Warres Lowe C. iv. 54He that was in the watch, saued himself with a light paire of heeles.
1596Shakes.Tam. Shr. ii. i. 205Too light for such a swaine as you to catch.
1604E. G[rimstone]D'Acosta'sHist.Indies v. v. 342He required the Cacique..to give him an Indian that were light, to carry him a Letter.
1669WorlidgeSyst.Agric.vii. §11 (1681) 135The more remote the Branches are from the Earth, the less are they subject to the injuries of Cattle, or the Fruit to light Fingers.
1706Phillips (ed.Kersey)s.v.,Among Astrologers, a Planet is said To be light,i.e.nimble, compared to another that moves slower.
1801W. HuntingtonBank of FaithDed.15It is common among horse-jockies to cry a horse down if his heels are too light.
1883R. W. DixonMano i. ix. 25Well coloured was she, tall and debonair, And light and very swift.
16.That moves or is moved easily or with slight pressure; pliant, fickle, shifty, unsteady; facile, ready (of belief, etc.). Const. of, to with inf. Now rare. (See also light of love.)c1320Sir Tristr. 1062Þer to icham al liȝt.
1382WyclifProv.xviii. 14The spirit forsothe liȝt to wrathen.
c1385ChaucerL.G.W. 1699 Lucrece,He was lyght of tunge.
c1400Destr. Troy 1229He..Launches euyn to Lamydon with a light wille.
1483CaxtonCato C vij b,For euery man oughte to be lyght to heeryng and slowe to speke.
1513Douglasæneis x. ii. 57Set in stead of that man, licht as lynd, Ouder a cloud or a waist puft of wynd.
1523Ld.Berners Froiss. I. xxiii. 32The kyng, who gaue lyght credence to thaym causedde his vncle..to be beheeded.
1526Pilgr.Perf.(W. de W. 1531) 40 b,Be not lyght to byleue euery spiryte.
a1529SkeltonDethe Erle Northumberlande 175Be not lyght of credence in no case.
1538BaleGod's Promises iv. (1744) 21Thynkest thu that I wyll so sone change my decre? No, no, frynde Moses; so lyght thu shalt not fynde me.
1539TavernerErasm.Prov.(1552) 6The Lyon, lyght of credite, forthwith ranne upon the wolfe and slewe hym.
c1570FoxeSerm.2Cor.v. 52Some..use to giue light eare to such whisperers.
1576Turberv.Bk.Venerie 174When hounds are hunted with in this sorte, they become so light of beliefe that[etc.].
1597BeardTheatre God's Judgem. (1612) 367To whom the chast Matron gaue light credence.
1603KnollesHist.Turks (1621) 80At this exaction..the light Constantinopolitans grievously murmured.
1627tr.Bacon's Life & Death (1651) 56A young man is light and moveable, an old man more grave and constant.
1748RichardsonClarissa (1811) VII. 410Were he not to have been so light of belief.
1853M. ArnoldScholar-Gipsy xviii,We Light half-believers of our casual creeds.
1890LeckyEng.in 18th C. VII. 46A light man, in whom no person can place any confidence.
V.That weighs or presses but little on the powers, senses, or feelings.17.Easy to bear or endure. Of an expense or impost: Easy to pay. (Cf.heavy a. 23.)c950Lindisf.Gosp.Matt.x. 15Lihtro bið tuoeᵹe burgas in dæᵹ domes ðon ðær ceastre.
c1000Ags.Gosp.Matt.xi. 30Min byrþyn is leoht.
c1320Cast. Love 958My burþene[is]liȝt i-nouh to beren.
1375BarbourBruce ii. 521Luff..all paynys maks licht.
c1430Two Cookery-bks. 17Ȝif þou wolt haue it a-forsyd with lyȝt coste, Take milk[etc.].
1523Ld.Berners Froiss. I. ci. 121,I am content ye shall come to a lyght ransome, for the loue of my cosyn of Derby.
1562WinȝetCert. Tractates iii.Wks.1888 I. 23The office of all potestatis is lycht to thaim and plesand to the subiectis.
1567Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 33The paine, that is now present, schort and licht.
1605Shakes.Lear iii. vi. 115 (Qos. 1608)How light and portable my paine seemes now!
1611Bible1 Kings xii. 4Make thou..his heauy yoke which he put vpon us, lighter.
1772PriestleyInst.Relig.(1782) II. 126The afflictions of this present life will seem light.
1800–24CampbellMartial Elegy iii,Deeming light the cost Of life itself in glorious battle lost.
1882B. D. W. RamsayRecoll.Mil.Serv.I. iv. 74All that we had endured was light compared to the discomfort on board.
1896Mrs. CaffynQuaker Grandmother 226Your seeing me has been no light punishment.
18. a.Easy to perform or accomplish, requiring little exertion; now only qualifying an.such as task, work, etc.; formerly often as predicate with clause assubj.†Also, easy to obtain.†Of speech: Easy to utter; plain. (Cf.heavy a. 24.) Phr. light duty: military service which does not entail full-time work.c1000Sax.Leechd.I. 342Hy habbaþ þæs þe leohtran gang.
a1200Moral Ode 312It is strong to stonde longe, and liht it is to falle hard.
c1200Ormin 4500Acc witt tu þatt itt niss nohht lihht To betenn hefiȝ sinne.
a1225Ancr. R. 428Þe leaue beo liht in alle þeo þinges þer nis sunne.
c1330R. BrunneChron.Prol.(1810)Pref.99In symple speche..Þat is lightest in manne's mouthe.
1340Ayenb. 99Liȝt to zigge an sotil to onderstonde.
a1375Lay Folks MassBk.App iv. 78Þe nexte þing to here, And þe lihtest for to lere.
c1391ChaucerAstrol.Prol.,Ful lihte rewles.
c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 229Glandule comeþ þe most part of fleume, & ben liȝter to resolue.
c1440Promp. Parv. 304/1Lyght of knowing or werking, facilis.
c1449PecockRepr. i. xvii. 100It is liȝt for to answere.
1450–1530Myrr. our Ladye 7Yt is not lyght for euery man to drawe eny longe thyng from latyn into oure Englyshe tongue.
a1555PhilpotExam.&Writ.(ParkerSoc.) 335It is not more lighter for him to slide and fall.
1610Shakes.Temp.i. ii. 451Least too light winning Make the prize light.
a1700DrydenTheod. & Hon. 247Well pleas'd were all his Friends, The Task was light.
1788FranklinAutobiog.Wks.1840 I. 186The service will be light and easy.
1832H. MartineauDemerara i. 7Invalids who were sufficiently recovered to do light work.
1849MacaulayHist.Eng.i. I. 123To keep down the English people was no light task even for that army.
1875JowettPlato (ed.2) III. 239,I cannot promise you that the task will be a light one.
1916A. HuxleyLet.13 Feb. (1969) 91He is still on light duty—so gets plenty of leave from Salisbury Plain.
1953A. BaronHuman Kind xiii. 100,I shouldn't be here by rights. I'm a light-duty man.
†b.Phrase. of light[tr.OF.de legier]: lightly, easily. Obs.c1489CaxtonSonnes of Aymon iii. 106A man that is well garnysshed is not of lighte overthrowe.
1490―Eneydos xii. 45All this people..Whiche shall mowe of lyght, aryse, and make werre ayenst the.
19. a.Of literature, dramatic works, music, etc.: Requiring little mental effort; amusing, entertaining. light comedian: An actor of light comedy. (Cf.heavy a. 20, 21.)1597MorleyIntrod.Mus.150Madrigals, Canzonets, and such like light musicke.
1809MalkinGil Blas x. vii. (Rtldg.) 355The library abounded in romances. Don Cæsar seemed to give the preference to that light reading.
1827L. T. RedeRoad to Stage 16In small theatres, the light comedian must play the seconds in tragedy.
Ibid.60In light comedy it is continually requisite to execute music.
1838ThirlwallGreece xviii. III. 79æschylus was accounted no less a master of the light than of the serious drama.
1841Macaulay inEdin.Rev.Jan. 524A great and rapid reform in..our lighter literature was the effect of his[sc. Collier's]labours.
1844J. Cowell30Yrs.among Players 43The light and low comedy.
1849Blackw.Mag.Jan. 40Light reading does not do when the heart is really heavy.
1872D. G. RossettiLet.20 Sept. (1967) III. 1064Your idea of George's possibly finding an outlet in light literature does not seem promising to me.
1874W. P. LennoxMyRecoll.I. 186The highest walks of light tragedy.
1878BrowningPoets Croisic xcv,From out your desk Hand me some lighter sample.
1880DailyTel.20 Dec.,The old-fashioned plan of ending a symphony with a light and brilliant rondo, that lays no tax upon the hearer's wearied faculties.
1885W. C. DayBehind Footlights 118The light comedian will complete the list of our company.
1885J. K. JeromeOn the Stage 33,I remember the first time our light comedy attempted to sit down on one of these chairs.
1888BryceAmer.Commw. (1890) III. iii. 604What may be called the lighter ornamental style, such as the after-dinner speech.
1888G. O. SeilhamerHist.Amer.Theatre I. 23Comedy parts or light tragedy roles.
1897National PoliceGaz.(U.S.) 26 May 6/4Miss Blanche is, perhaps, the cleverest little lady on the burlesque and light comedy stage.
1929Radio Times 8 Nov. 406/3Journey's End..is not a memorial service; nor, at the other extreme, is it light entertainment.
1958TimesLit.Suppl.5 Dec. 701/3The climax, both exciting and comic, just succeeds in lifting this novel out of the light-entertainment class.
1961John o' London's 18 May 567/4A more profitable career as a light-comedy lead.
1974P. De VriesGlory of Hummingbird iii. 27Some more pretty good nature lyrics and then a batch of light verse.
1975Times 10 Feb. 3/7Any programme of cuts..would have to be closely vetted by the IBA to ensure that they maintain a balance between light entertainment programmes and more serious productions.
b.Light Programme, one of the regular programme services of the B.B.C., chiefly featuring popular music and light entertainment. Also ellipt.as the Light. (On 30 Sept. 1967 its name was changed to ‘Radio 2’.)1945Radio Times 27 July 1/1Alongside these six regionalised Home Services there is to be available a new alternative, the BBC Light Programme... It will be built for the civilian listener.
1956‘M. Innes’Old Hall, New Hall iii. iii. 205No real American professor could be quite like that—not outside the Light Programme.
1959S. GibbonsPink Front Door iii. 37He had missed a particularly good boxing match on the Light.
1962L. DeightonIpcress File xxviii. 180,I kept the radio tuned to the Light for the 6.30 bulletin.
1966B.B.C.Handbk.45The Light Programme seeks to provide a friendly and companionable service for those who are in the mood for entertainment and relaxation.
1968S. E. EllacottEveryday Things inEng.1914–68 xi. 162At the end of the war the Home Service and the Light Programme were established (1945).
20.Of sleep: Not oppressive to the bodily sense; easily shaken off. Hence also light sleeper.c900tr.Bæda'sHist.v. ix. (1890) 410Me liht slep oferorn.
1827KebleChr.Y., Evening xiii,Be every mourner's sleep to-night, Like infant's slumbers, pure and light.
1844DickensMart. Chuz. xxxviii,I am a light sleeper; and it's better to be up than lying awake.
1894E. LawlessMaelcho II. ii. 21A man who at all times was a light sleeper.
VI.21.Free from the weight of care or sorrow; cheerful, merry. Obs.exc.in light heart.†Also glad and light, etc.†Const. of.13..inPol.Rel.& L. Poems 239Þou waxist heui þat was wellit.
a1366ChaucerRom.Rose 77They mote singen and be light.
c1400Destr. Troy 1411All þere lordes were light þat þai lyffe hade.
a1400–50Alexander 5332Ȝit be liȝt & lete of þi sorowe.
1430–40Lydg.Bochas i. x. (1554) 21 b,The people were full glad and lyght.
c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 448He was so light Of hir talking and of hir sight.
1500–20DunbarPoems xxvii. 23Na ferly thocht his hart wes licht.
1778F. BurneyDiary 23 Aug.,I have rarely seen a very rich man with a light heart and light spirits.
1844A. WelbyPoems (1867) 1When my heart was as light as a blossom in June.
1884W. C. SmithKildrostan 55Now my heart is light again, and I Could laugh like children at a pantomime.
1893F. AdamsNew Egypt 146He broke into a light laugh.
VII. 22.Of the head: Dizzy, giddy. Also of persons: Wandering in mind, delirious=light-headed 1 (now dial.: see Eng.Dial.Dict.).[Cf.sense 16; but there appears to be here a reference to a subjective sensation of physical levity.]1590Shakes.Com.Err. v. i. 72And thereof comes it that his head is light.
1604―Oth.iv. i. 280Are his wits safe? Is he not light of Braine?
1662R. MathewUnl.Alch.§89. 141He..continued very light eight dayes.
1791J. LearmontPoems 8Light grew her head, her breast did beat.
Mod.(Donegal)‘He's a bit light at the full and the change’ (H. C. Hart).
VIII. 23.Comb.:a.in syntactical combs. usedattrib.or asadjs., as light-density, light-draught, light-heart, light-land, light-marching;b.in parasynthetic derivatives, as light-bellied, light-bodied, light-boned, light-brained, light-built, †light-disposed, light-legged, light-mouthed, light-pointed, light-robed, light-spirited, light-thoughted, light-tongued, light-winged, light-wittedadjs.; †light-eared a., ready to listen, credulous; †light-poised a., of light weight; †light-skirted a. (of a woman:cf.light-skirts), light in conduct, wanton (hence †lightskirtedness); †light-tailed a.=prec.; light-timbered a., (of a horse) lightly-built, active. Also light-armed, light-fingered, etc.1823CrabbTechnol.Dict.,*Light-bellied, an epithet for a horse that has flat, narrow, and contracted sides.
1686Lond.Gaz.No.2136/4A white sanded gray Mare..*light⁓bodied.
1951AudenNones (1952) 14Of *light-boned children under great green oaks.
1974J. StubbsPainted Face ii. 48She was light-boned and well-fleshed.
1590MarloweEdw.II, v. ii. (1598) H 2 b,The proud corrupters of the *light-brained king.
1953J. CaryExcept the Lord v. 15He was a *light-built man, very dark in complexion, with a somewhat hollow face, and a long sharp chin.
1956E. MuirOne Foot in Eden 18The crescent shadow Of the light-built bridge.
1967Times 28 Feb. (CanadaSuppl.) 35/3This method of operation has implications..for *light-density branch lines.
1967Jane's Surface Skimmer Systems 1967–68 30/1The H.M.2 is designed for ferry services on light density routes of short stage lengths.
1870T. W. HigginsonArmy Life in Black Regim. 169We could then ascend the smaller stream with two *light-draft boats.
1897Daily News 3 Mar. 5/2Eight light-draught steamers for special service.
a1552Ld.Somerset in Foxe A. & M. (1563) 736 b,When one is ouer *light eared, the one way, and deafe on the other side.
1845G. MurrayIslaford 37There was a *light-heart briskness in the air.
1812Examiner 7 Sept. 563/2*Light-land wheat, almost everywhere good.
1960Farmer & Stockbreeder 29 Mar. 73/1The only complaint—a little rain needed on some of the light-land farms.
1974Times 15 Apr. 8/3Dry weather over the past three weeks, rather too long a period for some light-land farmers, has made possible some catching up on the delays of March.
a1586SidneyArcadia i. (1622) 87*Light-legged Pas had got the middle space.
1888M. MorrisClaverhouse x. 186The active *light-marching Highlanders.
1884E. A. AndersonMod.Horsemanship v. 18It is dangerous to have a severe bit upon a *light-mouthed horse.
1824Miss MitfordVillageSer.i. 263Its *light-pointed roof, its clustered chimneys.
1615R. BrathwaitStrappado (1878) 205Swift is't[the water of the Kent]in pace, *light-poiz'd, to looke in cleere.
1876HumphreysCoinColl.Man.xxiv. 326A *light-robed female presenting her hand to three soldiers.
a1758RamsaySome of the Contents vii,*Licht skirted lasses, and the girnand wyfe.
1607R. C[arew]tr.Estienne's World of Wonders 101*Light skirtednesse and leuitie.
1600J. LaneTom Tel-troth (1876) 133*Light-taylde huswiues.
1777R. Potteræschylus, Prometheus chain'd 26Unfruitfull labour and *light-thoughted folly.
1683Lond.Gaz.No.1871/4A *light timbered bright bay Gelding.
a1825ForbyVoc.E. Anglia,Light-timbered, light-limbed; active and alert.
1828ScottF.M. Perth xvii,To keep *light-tongued companions out of the way.
1604Shakes.Oth.i. iii. 269*Light-wing'd Toyes Of feather'd Cupid seele with wanton dulnesse My..offic'd Instrument.
1763MasonSonn.to Earl Holdernesse 6Here, as the light wing'd moments glide serene.
1577H. RhodesBk.Nurture in BabeesBk.(1868) 82For *lyght-witted or dronken, sure, men will name thee in talke.
1699BentleyPhal. 86A foolish light witted fellow.
c.SpecialComb.: light bread U.S.(seequot.1966); light fantastic(seefantastic a.andn.A. 6 b), as nounphr., the movements of dancing; light-heavyweight(seequot.1954); also attrib.; also ellipt.as light-heavy; light oil, any of various fractions of relatively low specific gravity obtained by the distillation of coal-tar, wood-tar, petroleum, etc.; light water, (a) water containing the normal (about 0·02%) or less than the normal proportion of deuterium oxide (so light water reactor, a nuclear reactor in which the moderator is light water); (b) a foam formed by water and a fluorocarbon surfactant which floats on flammable liquids lighter than water and is used in fire-fighting.1821Western Carolinian (Salisbury, N. Carolina) 27 Mar.,Crackers and *light Bread will always be found in his shop.
1880‘Mark Twain’Tramp Abroad II. xlix. 225Hot light⁓bread, Southern style.
1966Publ.Amer.Dial.Soc.1964 xlii. 20Lightbread, any yeast-raised bread, to distinguish it from biscuit.
1970C. MajorDict.Afro-Amer. Slang 77Light bread, white bread.
1974Amer.Speech 1971 XLVI. 62The notion that light bread is a recessive term is especially plausible because baking is rarely done at home and because supermarkets sell white bread or simply bread.
c1843J. S. CoyneBinks the Bagman (1852) i. 10Then you're fond of sporting on the *light fantastic?
1892A. C. GunterMiss Dividends ix. 128‘You dance very nicely,’ she murmurs. ‘Yes, for a man who has not tripped the light fantastic for years.’
1913GalsworthyDark Flower i. vii. 34When I was your age I twirled the light fantastic with the best.
1953K. AmisLucky Jim x. 114,I thought you'd all be on the floor by now... I'm not going to permit any more of this skulking about in here. It's the light fantastic for you.
1974L. DeightonSpy Story vi. 57The inlaid sprung floor would still have supported a light fantastic or two.
1973R. L. SimonBig Fix (1974) xv. 104It was the guy..who looked like a promising *light-heavy.
1975M. KenyonMr Big vii. 63‘These the heavyweights?’ ‘Light-heavy. Watch Hudson, in the blue trunks.’
1903National PoliceGaz.(U.S.) 18 July 3/1And now there is a new champion in a new class—George Gardiner, of Lowell,Mass., the holder of the *light-heavyweight title.
1913J. G. B. LynchCompl.Amat. Boxer (App.) 234Standard weights... Light-heavy weight, 12 stone 7 pounds and under.
1954F. C. AvisBoxing ReferenceDict.77Light-Heavyweight, a standard weight division for professional boxers weighing more than 11st.6 lb. but not more than 12st.7 lb.; for amateurs 11st.11 lb. and 12st.10 lb. respectively.
1960M. GolesworthyEncycl.Boxing 210/2Light-heavyweight—Started in America in 1903 by Lou Houseman, manager of Jack Root, who had outgrown the middleweight division. The limit was set at 12st.7 lbs. (175 lbs.) and it remains at that figure today. The division was first recognised in Britain in 1913.
1968Encycl.Brit.IV. 43/1In 1920 light heavyweight competition was added.
1867BloxamChem.452The *light oil which first passed over is rectified by a second distillation, and is then sent into commerce under the name of coal naphtha.
1898F. H. ThorpOutl.Industr.Chem.264The distillate collected[from wood-tar]below 150°C. is called ‘light oil’, and is chiefly used as a substitute for oil of turpentine in varnish and paints.
1936Economist 22 Feb. 399/2Increasing demand for the heavier oils has enabled a higher proportion of refinery production to be marketed in that form, and has reduced the proportion subjected to ‘cracking’ to obtain light oils, such as motor spirit.
1964N. G. ClarkMod.Org.Chem.xviii. 372When light oil and crude benzole are distilled to give ‘Benzole’ for internal-combustion engines—over 70 per cent are treated in this way—a fraction embracing benzene, toluene, and the xylenes is collected.
1933*Light water[see heavy a.1 2 d].
1947Crowther & WhiddingtonScience at War iii. 142Vast quantities of water have been electrolysed, and separated into ‘light water’ and ‘heavy water’, the former containing hydrogen atoms of mass 1 only.
1956Nature 4 Feb. 204/1Studies have been made of the pressurized light-water reactor and of the sodium-graphite reactor.
1968Guardian 21 Aug. 1/4The air show's special fire brigade—using helicopters carrying ‘light water’.
1971Sunday Times 12 Dec. 45/6American light water reactors are simple and in some ways cruder.
1972Aircraft Engineering Jan. 28/1Using Light Water aqueous film forming foam, the team cut a knock-down path to the cockpit within five seconds of reaching the fire.
1973Daily Colonist (Victoria,B.C.) 7 June 42/2The cost of a solar steam generating plant would now be about double the cost of light-water nuclear plants.
Add:[1.]c.Stock Market. Of trading: low in quantity, sparse. Also transf., characterized by sparse trading.1875Chicago Tribune 8 July 6/3Few buyers were present and the ‘mail order’ business also was light.
1882Daily News 27 July 4/7The settlement was commenced on the Stock Exchange yesterday, and contangoes proved light.
1930Daily Express 6 Sept. 2/6The turnover..remained light, the upturn reflecting an extreme scarcity of sellers rather than any considerable number of buyers.
1981Times 11 Aug. 14/2Selling pressure was described as light.
1989Independent 10 Oct. 1Trading was comparitively light in both currency and equity markets.
d.Of traffic: not abundant, sparse.[1909Westm.Gaz.30 Aug. 2/1On lightly trafficked roads.]
1935C. G. BurgeCompl.Bk.Aviation 136/1The cheaper way at intermediate towns or where traffic is light, is to assemble the passengers at a central point.
1940Maryland (Writers' Program) iii. 313This route..has relatively light traffic and few billboards to obstruct pleasant views.
1957Encycl.Brit.I. 233/2Airports with light and limited traffic.
1973D. BarnesSee the Woman (1974) i. 111Traffic on Western Avenue was light.
1985Interavia AerospaceRev.Feb. 163/1Intercontinental airline routes with relatively light traffic.
e.Finance and Stock Market. Of a currency or share: relatively low in value or price.1958Times 29 Dec. 6/4For a time next year both the old franc and the new, the ‘light’ and the ‘heavy’, will probably be in circulation.
1963Rep.Comm.Inquiry Decimal Currency iii. 19 in Parl.Papers 1962–3 (Cmnd. 2145) XI. 195The halfpenny systems give either a ‘light’ main unit, or a mil system.
1977DailyTel.13 Apr. 19The lira is certainly the lightest currency, with nearly 900 units to the dollar.
1981Times 30 Apr. 26/4Royal Bank of Scotland slipped 4p to 184p with its predators Hongkong & Shanghai 1p lighter at 130p.
[10.]Also (of beer), containing fewer calories than ordinary beer.Cf.*lite a. 2.1971Advertising Age 1 Feb. 6/5‘The appeals are almost uniformly stereotyped,’ Mr. Brown said. ‘Coors is ‘America's fine light beer’.’
1974S. TerkelWorking ix. 526‘Light beer’—that's the ad phrase for watered and thin beer. So the schmucky kid thinks he's a stud fighting for the babe by consuming all that alcohol.
1981Bon Appétit Mar. 32/2Light beer is the fastest growing segment of the malt beverage market.
1986Marketing Week 29 Aug. 16/3Its idea of what makes a light beer light is that it contains 100 calories or less in a 12-oz serving.
1991Washington Post 6 Nov. a1/6The rules state..that ‘light’ or ‘lite’..may be used only on foods that have one-third fewer calories than comparable products.
[13.]e.Insuperl.phr., as lightest wish, lightest word.Prob. afterquot.1602.1602Shakes.Ham.I. v. 16,I could a Tale vnfold, whose lightest word Would harrow vp thy soule.
1869‘Mark Twain’Innoc.Abr.xxxvii. 394The Autocrat of Russia, whose lightest word is law to seventy millions of human beings.
1936Punch 9 Sept. 287/2My lightest wish..is eagerly served.
Ibid.30 Dec. 755The millions that hang upon your lightest word.
1956I. MurdochFlight from Enchanter viii. 100This kindly body was indeed ready to provide staff of any description in response to a department's lightest wish.
1987Financial Times 29 Aug. (WeekendSuppl.) p. i/3There are still a few operators whose lightest word can move individual stocks.
f.Bridge. Low; short of points for a traditional bid. to come in (or open) light, to begin or come into the bidding with less strength than is conventional.1899A. DunnBridge 29As the dealer's hand is not worth a single trick, a light ‘no-trumper’ means absolute ruin.
1906W. Dalton‘Saturday’ Bridge ii. 46A light No Trump, however anæmic it may be, is always preferable to a light red suit declaration, but a strong red suit declaration..is far better than an average No Trump call.
1935E. CulbertsonEncycl.Bridge 265/1A light bid is based on nearly the strength which it implies.
1959Listener 13 Aug. 262/3Some players do not like to open light when they have a part score.
1971DailyTel.21 Aug. 8/3A fine contract to reach on light values.
1976BridgeMag.July 40/1A good partnership must..console itself with the..gains which are brought in by one partner coming in light and the other not crucifying him for doing so.
[18.]c.Slight in amount or extent (and therefore not demanding).1969Internat.Herald Tribune (Paris) 6 Nov. 14/4 (Advt.),Light knowledge of French.
1969in Halpert & StoryChristmas Mumming in Newfoundland 109A boy will be expected to do a ‘light bit’ of drinking.
1977Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. xii. 59/1The diversified nature of this position is based in a southwest suburb of Chicago and requires light travel.
1987P. LivelyMoon Tiger ii. 21What she was retreating from was..any commitment more intense than light church attendance and an interest in roses.
▸ light creamn.chiefly N.Amer.a type of cream with a low fat content; spec.cream with a fat content higher than that of half-and-half but lower than that of heavy cream;cf.single creamn.at singleadj.Special uses 1a.1906N.Y.Times 28 May 7 (advt.)The day's make of ice cream requires eighty quarts of heavy cream and eighty quarts of *light cream.
2004T:N.Y.Times StyleMag.19 Sept. 142/1The bartenders at Balthazar have even swirled the sweet wine into a cocktail known as the Flip, which combines powdered sugar and light cream with a slug of ruby port.
▪ III.light,a.2|laɪt|Forms: 1 léoht, Anglian leht, 3 liht, 4 lith, lyȝt, 4–5 liȝt, 4–6 lyght, 5 leyȝt, licht, 6 lighte, lycht, 4– light.[OE.léoht (Anglian lē̆ht)=OFris.li(a)cht,OS.,OHG.lioht (MHG.lieht,mod.G. andDu.licht): see lightn.]1.†a.Bright, shining, luminous. Of a fire: Burning brightly. Phrase, on (of, in) a light fire: in a blaze (very common in 16–18th c.). Obs.c825Vesp. Psalter xviii. 9Bibod dryhtnes leht[Vulg.lucidum]inlihtende eᵹan.
c1000Sax.Leechd.II. 30Seoð þonne æt leohtum fyre.
a1400–50Alexander 4464Gods..Sum of latoun & of lede & sum of liȝt siluir.
c1400Destr. Troy 8742Ymages..Lokend full lyuely as any light angels.
14..Tundale's Vis. 2120 (MS.A.)Bryghtter..Then ever schon sonne that was soo lyȝt.
c1420Chron.Vilod. 1300 (Horstm.),To stanche þat feyre þat was so leyȝt.
1583T. StockerCiv. Warres Lowe C. iv. 57 b,At that tyme also was fire cried at Giethorne, and soone after, many houses were seene on a light fire.
1609HollandAmm. Marcell. 113Now..we might discover smoke and light fires all the way along.
1643TrappComm.Gen.xx. 3For methought, I saw all Heidelberg on a thick smoke, but the Prince his Pallace all on a light fire.
1652WarrenUnbelievers (1654) 24All Sodome was of a light fire.
1737Mem.G. di Lucca 110The Flashes were so thick the Sky was almost in a light Fire.
1760JortinLife of Erasmus II. 717He piled those ancient books together and set them all on a light fire.
absol.c1380WyclifWks.(1880) 269It is a foul lesynge to chese wittingly & meyntene þe lesse perfit, & forsake þe liȝttere, sikerere, & perfitere.
b.Of a place, the time of day, etc.: Having a considerable or sufficient amount of light, not dark.†In early use also with stronger sense: Brightly illuminated; fig.enlightened mentally.c900Bæda'sHist.i. i. (1890) 26Ðis ealond..leohte nihte on sumera hafað.
c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.103Illuminacio mentis..þat is heorte be liht.
c1205Lay.7238Hit wes an ane time, Þat þe dæi wes liht, and þe sunne wes swiðe briht.
c1300Havelok 593Also lith was it þer-inne, So þer brenden cerges inne.
c1320Seuyn Sag. (W.) 2064And to morewen, whan it is light, Sire, thou schalt have thine wille.
a1340HampolePsalter xviii. 9Charite þat makis þe eghen of oure saule lyght & lufly.
c1470HenrysonMor.Fab.x. (Fox & Wolf) xxiii,The nicht was licht, and penny full the mone.
1560J. Daustr.Sleidane'sComm.235 a/2By and by commeth he with the letters, and delyuereth them: it was skarce lyght daye.
1596Dalrympletr.Leslie'sHist.Scot.i. 90Nocht be the day was lycht, nathir at noneday bot at evin.
1611BibleMicah ii. 1When the morning is light, they practise it[euill].
1704NorrisIdeal World ii.Pref.8A man that has a light shop had need sell good ware.
1844J. T. J. HewlettParsons & W. ix,The boy..got up before it was light on the following morning.
1861F. NightingaleNursing 56A patient's bed should always be in the lightest spot in the room.
Mod.The morning-room is a nice light room.
†c.Clean, pure. Obs.13..E.E.Allit.P. A. 681Þat is of hert boþe clene & lyȝt.
Ibid.B. 987Wyth lyȝt louez vp-lyfte þay loued hym swyþe.
2. a.Pale in hue. Also=light-coloured.1548TurnerNames of Herbes (1881) 73Siligo..is a kynde of ryghte wheate... Therfore let it be called in englishe lyght wheate.
1686Lond.Gaz.No.2182/4He had a light bob Periwig.
1727BoyerFr.Dict.,Light Hair, des Cheveux blonds.
1799G. SmithLaboratory I. 394Draw your stuff quickly through, three or four times, according as you would have it deeper or lighter.
Ibid.305Body[of artificial fly]light fur of an old fox.
1873Act 36 & 37Vict.c. 85 §3Her name..shall be marked on her stern..on a light ground in black letters.
1898Pall Mall G. 3 Feb. 9/1Never back a bird which has a light or yellow eye.
b.Prefixed, as a qualification, to other adjectives of colour. (Usually hyphened with theadj.when the latter is used attributively.) light red, (a) pale red; (b) a pale red or reddish orange pigment produced from iron oxides.c1420DurhamAcc.Rolls (Surtees) 617,7 pannis integris de lyghtgrene.
a1450Fysshynge w. Angle (1883) 10A lyght plunket colour.
a1500[see glad a. 1].
1530Palsgr.239/1Lyght grene popyngay coloure, uertgay.
1729SavageWanderer i. 71The dawn in light-grey mists arose.
1803J. C. IbbetsonAccidence of Painting in Oil 17Light red, so called, is either calcined green vitriol mixed with a quantity of other substance, and called Venetian red; or calcined yellow oker.
1863I. WilliamsBaptistery ii. xix. (1874) 25Beneath an ash⁓tree's light-green shade, There side by side the Three are laid.
1885M. E. BraddonWyllard's Weird i. 14A back⁓ground of light-drab cloth.
1934H. HilerNotes Technique Painting ii. 125Light red, burnt ochre... It is quite opaque, and may be defined as a scarlet modified by the addition of a little yellow and grey.
1958M. L. WolfDict.Painting 142The red iron oxides found as natural deposits include Indian red, light red,..and others of lesser importance.
1970R. D. HarleyArtists' Pigments ix. 109Light red came into current use as a colour name during the eighteenth century, when it was generally used to indicate a brownish red prepared by burning yellow ochre.
3.Comb.: parasynthetic, as light-coloured, light-complexioned, light-haired, light-leaved, light-veined, light-wavedadjs.Light Sussex, a white variety of hen.1631SandersonSerm.(1681) II. 2A too-too *light-coloured habit certainly suteth not well with the gravity of a sermon.
1686Lond.Gaz.No.2136/4Left in a Hackney Coach..a light-colour'd gray cloth Sur-toute Coat.
1882Garden 4 Feb. 78/1The American Ash is, as a rule, lighter coloured both in foliage and bark than ours.
1861WaughGoblin's Grave 11Her *light-complexioned face beamed with..good nature.
1843MillLogic II. iii. xxiii. 149The probability..that any given inhabitant of Stockholm is *light-haired.
1870BryantIliad I. x. 302The husband of the light-haired queen of heaven.
1896A. E. HousmanShropsh.Lad lxiii,And fields will yearly bear them As *light-leaved spring comes on.
1909T. W. SturgesPoultry Manual xiii. 359The *Light Sussex and the Buff Orpington are both blended in the White Orpington.
1938L. Pearce-GervisCompl.Poultry Keeper & Farmer vi. 153The top prices..are still made by the Surrey Chicken... For this market either Pure Light Sussex or a cross in which there is a Sussex strain is necessary, for the white flesh must be maintained.
1965P. WayreWind in Reeds xv. 224A flock of four hundred Silky crossed with Light Sussex bantams.
1613–39I. Jones in LeoniPalladio'sArchit.(1742) II. 50*Light-vein'd marble.
1824T. FenbyHymn to May iv. 5Yon *light-wav'd clouds thy tresses show.
Add:[2.]c.light ale, pale-coloured bottled ale; also absol.inphr.light and bitter, a drink consisting of light ale and draught bitter in equal measures; similarly light and mild.1893Army & Navy Co-op.Soc.Rules & Price List 15 Mar. 77Allsopp's Light Dinner Ale.
1903Civil Service SupplyAssoc.Ltd. Price List 1 May 181Bull Dog, Light Ale.
1914N.E.D.s.v.Treaclesb., Treacle ale, beer, a light ale or beer brewed from treacle and water.
1953Word for Word (Whitbread & Co.) 24/2Light ale, pale ale... Light and mild, a mixture, pale ale and mild, half-and-half.
1979M. LeighAbigail's Party I. 34Tone, have a light ale, 'cos he got them specially for you.
1982L. CodyBad Company xv. 111Bernie..went to the bar to order a pint of light and bitter.
1986J. MilneDead Birds xiv. 113,I wanted a light and bitter and no, I couldn't have one. Would I like a Schlitz instead?
1992New Musical Express 12 Aug. 45He actually resembles the working class hero he's always strived to be, the ‘Armchair Anarchist’ with a bottle of light ale in one hand and an incendiary device in the other.
▪ IV.†light,ppl.a.Obs.[Pa.pple.of light v.2]Lighted, kindled, illuminated.1495Act 11Hen.VII, c. 27Take a light candell and sette in the Fustyan brennyng.
1579FulkeRefut.Rastel 722Neither was it the custome..to sett light candels on the aultars.
1601HollandPliny I. 45It quencheth..light torches dipped therein.
1606ChapmanMons. D'Olive i. i,Me thinks through the encourtaind windowes..I see light Tapers.
1632LithgowTrav.vi. 274With light candles in our hands.
▪ V.light,adv.1|laɪt|Forms: 1 léohte, 3 lihte, 3–5 liȝt, 5 lyghte, 6 Sc.licht, 4– light.[OE.léohte=OS.lîhto (Du.licht),OHG.lîhto (MHG.lîhte,mod.G. leicht),f.OTeut.*liŋhto- light a.1]1.In a light manner (cf.senses of theadj.); lightly as opposed to heavily; nimbly,†quickly;†easily, comfortably.In the phrases to think light of, †to care light for, etc., there may be confusion with lite, little.c900tr.Bæda'sHist.iv. xix. (1890) 320Þa wæs heo ᵹeseᵹen þurh tweᵹen daᵹas, þæt hire leohtor & wel wære.
a1250Prov.ælfred 290 in O.E.Misc.120Þene vnþev lihte leten heo myhte.
a1300Cursor M. 18059Fra hus he lepe selcutli light.
c1330R. BrunneChron.(1810) 272He wend haf had fulle light, Edward at his wille.
c1420Anturs of Arth. 653And þane to þe lystis þe lordis leppis fulle lyghte.
c1449PecockRepr. 268Euery thing lijk to an other thing bringith into ymaginacioun and into mynde better and liȝtir and esier the thing to him lijk, than the thing to him lasse lijk.
1483CaxtonG. de la Tour L ij,Blessed be the houre that my suster clothed her so light.
1573Satir. Poems Reform. xlii. 432Thocht of the matter thay pas licht.
1590GreeneNever too Late (1600) N 1 b,So light the Ferriman for loue doth care, As Venus passe not if she pay no fare.
1590SpenserF.Q. i. viii. 10His boystrous club, so buried in the ground, He could not rearen up againe so light.
1590Shakes.Mids. N. v. i. 401Euerie Elfe and Fairie spright, Hop as light as bird from brier.
1592―Ven. & Ad. 1028The grasse stoops not, she treads on it so light.
1697DrydenVirg.Georg. iii. 308He..treads so light he scarcely prints the Plains.
1807Wordsw.Song at Feast Brougham Castle 75Thoughts that pass Light as the wind along the grass.
1871RossettiLast Confession 401She went with..hands held light before her.
1896A. E. HousmanShropshire Lad lix,Lie you easy, dream you light.
Proverb.1546J. HeywoodProv.(1867) 77Light come, light go.
1712ArbuthnotJohn Bull iii. iv,Light come, light go, he cares not a farthing.
1857HughesTom Brown i. ix,Light come, light go; they wouldn't have been comfortable with money in their pockets in the middle of the half.
2.Comb.(withpres.andpa.pples.) as light-bounding, light-charged, light-clad, light-disposed, light-harnessed, light-loaded, light-poised, etc.1533–4Act 25Hen.VIII, c. 17Many wilfull and light disposed persons..haue attempted the..violacion of the same statutes.
1561T. NortonCalvin'sInst.(1634)Pref.,The light-beleeving and ignorant multitude.
1596Edw.III, i. ii,Nor rusting canker have the time to eat Their light-borne snaffles.
1598R. GreneweyTacitus'Ann.i. xiii. (1622) 24The Bructeri..Stertinius ouerthrew with a company of light harnessed souldiers.
1725PopeOdyss. viii. 303Light⁓bounding from the earth, at once they rise.
1726–46ThomsonWinter 645The fop light-fluttering spreads his mealy wings.
1742YoungNt.Th.v. 463Earth's inchanted cup With cool reserve light-touching.
1750Chatham in SewardAnecd.(1796) III. 386'Midst all the tumults of the warring sphere, My light-charg'd bark may haply glide.
1751Act 24Geo.II, c. 8 §17Damages do often happen to light-loaded Barges..by deep-loaded Barges..lying across..in the said Rivers.
1776Mickletr.Camoens' Lusiad 227The dancers' heels light-quivering beat the ground.
1777R. Potteræschylus, Agamem. 236Fond as a boy to chace The winged bird light-flitting round.
1798W. Sothebytr.Wieland's Oberon (1826) II. 152A veil, light-shadowing each voluptuous charm.
1812ByronCh.Har. i. lxxiii,With milk-white crest, gold spur, and light-pois'd lance.
1823RoscoeSismondi'sLit.Eur. (1846) II. xxxi. 329Our light-swung hammocks answering to the breeze.
1876Geo.Eliot Dan.Der. III. xliv. 269Lighter-clad intelligence.
1883F. M. WallemFish Supply Norway 31 (Fish.Exhib.Publ.)Add..a few light-fried truffles or mushrooms.
1883R. W. DixonMano ii. vi. 84The Saracen's curved sword and light-wrought mail.
▪ VI.†light,adv.2 Obs.Forms: 1 léohte, 3 liht(e, 4–5 liȝt(e, 5 lighte, lyth, 4– light.[OE.léohte (=OHG.liohto,MHG.liehte),f.léoht light a.2]Brightly, clearly.a900CynewulfCrist 1239 (Gr.)Þæt hy fore leodum leohte blicaþ.
971Blickl.Hom.127[Leohtfatu]leohte & beorhte scinaþ ælce niht.
c1230Hali Meid. 43Euch heate of þe hali gast þat bearneð se lihte wiðute wastinde.
c1275XI Pains of Hell 68 in O.E.Misc.149A hwel of stele is furþer mo And berneþ lihte and turneþ o.
a1310in WrightLyric P. 33In uche londe heo leometh liht.
c1384ChaucerH. Fame iii. 199These walles of berile..shoone ful lyghter than a glas.
c1470Golagros & Gaw. 485With fel lans on loft, lemand ful light.
14..Lydg.Siege Harfleur inArb.Garner VIII. 17With men of arms that lyth did leme.
c1710C. FiennesDiary (1888) 137Its[sc. coal]in great pieces and so Cloven burns light so as the poorer sort works by it.
Comb.a1400–50Alexander 553Þe liȝt lemand late laschis fra þe heuyn.
▪ VII.light,v.1|laɪt|Forms: 1 líhtan, lýhtan, léhtan, 3 lihte(n, liȝten, 3–4 liht, lyht, 4 liȝt, lyȝt, lith, 4–5 liȝte, 4–6 lyght, Sc.licht, lycht, 5 lyghte, leyȝt, lyhte, lyȝte, 5–6 lighte, 6–7 lite, 8–9 dial.leet, 4– light. pa.tense. α. 1 líhte, 2–3 lihte, 4 liht, lyht(e, lyȝte, licte, north.licht, 4–5 liȝt(e, lyȝt, lyghte, 4–8 light, 5 leyt, 5–6 lyght, 8–9 dial.leet. β. 4 lihtid, lited, lithed, liȝtid, 4–6 Sc.lichtit, lychtit, -yt, 5–6 lyghted(e, 4– lighted; 7– lit. pa.pple.α. 3–5 liȝt, 4 lyȝt, liht, y-lyeght, 5 lyght, 5–8 light. β. 5 y-lyghted, -id, 5–6 lyghted, 6 lyȝthed, 8 lited, 6– lighted; 8– lit. Also 7 lighten.[OE.líhtan=OFris.lichta,MDu.liichten (Du.lichten),OHG.(gi)lîhten, (MHG.lîhten,mod.G. leichten, now rare; also lichten,Naut.fromDu.),ON.létta:—OTeut.type *līhtjan, *liŋhtjan,f.*līhto-, *liŋhto-, light a.1 The senses in branch IIapp.originate in anabsol.use of thevb.in sense 2 (‘to relieve a horse or vehicle of one's weight’);cf.ON.létta to dismount, halt on a journey.]I.To lighten.†1.trans.To make light, lessen the weight of. Also fig.to reduce; to mitigate, assuage. Obs.c1000inNarrat.Angl.Conscrip. (Cockayne) 8Ða wolde ic minne þurst lehtan.
1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 214Thou shalte lyght the trauaillis of thy baronage.
c1440Promp. Parv. 304/1Lyghtyn chargys or byrdenys, deonero.
Ibid.,Lyghteyn, or make wyghtys more esy (P. lightyn burdens, heuy weightis) allevio.
1552Huloet,Lyghten or make easye, læuigo, leuo.
1578BanisterHist.Man i. 34We finde the same[bone]here, and there, attenuated, and lighted with long lynes, and flatted sides.
1582Stanyhurstæneis ii. (Arb.) 67Nor backward skewd I myn eyesight, In graue of holy Ceres tyl that my burden I lighted.
a1600MontgomerieSonn.li. 6Vhilk slaiks my sorou..And lights my louing largour at the leist.
2. a.To relieve of a (material) load or burden; to unload (a ship). Also, to ‘relieve’ (a person) of his property by plundering. ? Obs.a1225Ancr. R. 422Ȝe schulen beon i-dodded four siðen iðe ȝere, uorto lihten ower heaued.
13..E.E.Allit.P. C. 160To lyȝten þat lome, ȝif leþe wolde schape.
1375BarbourBruce iii. 624Thar schip thai lychtyt sone.
1545T. RaynaldeByrth Mankynde 34They can not..containe or draw any moore, tyll they be lighted and dischargyd of that that is drawen already.
1590SpenserF.Q. i. xii. 42Where we must land some of our passengers, And light this weary vessell of her lode.
1623BinghamXenophon 127Tereus..was lighted of all his baggage by these men.
1637B. JonsonSadSheph.i. ii,The wash'd Flocks are lighted of their wooll.
1715–20PopeIliad xi. 208Many a car, now lighted of its lord.
1756inR. Rogers'sJrnls.(1883) 51 note,They saw a schooner at anchor some distance from ye shore..and, upon this intelligence, lighted our boats and intended to board them.
b.To deliver of a child. Now dial.c1394P. Pl. Crede 79Þat þe lace of oure ladie smok liȝteþ hem of children.
c1400Mandeville (1839) vi. 71Where oure Lady rested hire, aftre sche was lyghted of oure Lord.
c1460TowneleyMyst.xiii. 337,I shall say thou was lyght Of a knaue childe this nyght.
1494FabyanChron.vii. 339Leuynge his wyfe with hir modyr tyll she were lyghted of chylde.
1542Will of R. Slanye (Somerset Ho.)Yf..she be lighted of a childe wherwtshe goeth nowe.
1774Churchw.Acc.Norton & Lenchwick,Worcestersh.(MS.)PdMrs. Sanders for liting Ben Turner wife.
1886Chesh.Gloss.s.v.,Is your wife lighted?
†3.a.To relieve (of pain, sorrow, etc.); to comfort, gladden, cheer (a person, his heart, etc.). Obs.c1000Sax.Leechd.II. 186Þicge þæt seofon niht, þonne liht þæt þone ᵹeswencedan maᵹan.
c1220Bestiary 375Liȝten him of his birdene.
a1225Ancr. R. 356Worp awei urom me alle mine gultes, þet ich beo ilihted of hore heuinesse.
a1300Cursor M. 5727He light þam o þair wa.
c1384ChaucerH. Fame i. 467Venue, The whiche I prey..vs ay of oure sorwes lyghte.
1388WyclifIsa.ix. i,The lond of Zabulon and the lond of Neptalym was releessid[v. rr. aliȝted, liȝtid].
a1400–50Alexander 2814,I shall lefe & be lightyd; ȝarfore be ȝe light.
c1440Jacob's Well xl. 249Of oþeris charge þou art lyȝthed.
c1470HenrysonMor.Fab.Prol.iii,Ane mery sport To licht the spreit.
1473M. Paston inP.Lett.III. 77Ye have lyghtyd myne hert therin by a pound.
1529MoreDyaloge ii.Wks.1171/1A merye tale wyth a frende, refresheth a manne muche, and..lyghteth his mynd.
1530Palsgr.611/2This tydynges lyghteth me well.
1597A. M.tr.Guillemeau'sFr.Chirurg. 10/1She voyded matter, by the which she seemed to be lighted and easyed.
†b.intr.Of the heart: To grow light or cheerful. Of sickness: To be alleviated. Obs.a1300Cursor M. 5163Þan bigan his ert to light.
c1386ChaucerSqr.'s T. 388It was so fair a sighte That it made alle hire hertes for to lighte.
1398TrevisaBarth. De P.R. ix. xxii. (Tollem.MS.),In þe dawenynge siknesse of bestes lyȝteþ[ed. 1535 is lyghted]and abateþ.
a1400–50Alexander 5255Sire Alexander hire a-vises & all his hert liȝtis.
c1460TowneleyMyst.xiii. 138Me thynk my hart lyghtys.
†4.trans.To make of less effect, deprive of weight or influence. Also Sc., to slight, undervalue.a1619M. FotherbyAtheom. i. viii. §2 (1622) 56Though he were very witty..yet by his inconstancy, he lighted his authority.[L. levatur authoritas].
1822GaltEntail III. viii. 81When the Laird lights the Leddy, so does a' the kitchen boys.
5. a.Naut.(trans.andabsol.) (Seequot.1867.)1841DanaSeaman'sMan.114Light, to move or lift anything along; as, to ‘Light out to windward!’ that is, haul the sail over to windward.
c1860H. StuartSeaman'sCatech.45The men on the yard..light out on their respective sides.
1867SmythSailor's Word-bk.,Light, To. To move or lift anything along; as ‘light over to windward’, the cry for helping the men at the weather-earing when taking in a reef. Light along! Lend assistance in hauling cables, hawsers, or large ropes along, and lifting some parts in a required direction.
1882NaresSeamanship (ed.6) 132All..light the sail out to windward together.
b.? Hence to light out (U.S.slang): to decamp, ‘make tracks’. to light in (or light into): to attack; to go at. (U.S.colloq.)1866‘Mark Twain’Lett.from Hawaii (1967) 32And you want to know what made me light out of bed so sudden last night? Only a ‘santipede’.
1878J. H. BeadleWestern Wilds xii. 187They double-quicked into town and lit in generally.
1884‘Mark Twain’Huck. Finn i. 2And so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out.
1888Cornh.Mag.Oct. 373He may light out for the country, railing West to a young city yet on the boom.
1889K. MunroeGolden Days xiv. 156You've got the levellest head of any man that ever lit into the diggings.
1890CenturyMag.Feb. 525/2We'll light out an' find your brother.
1917Freeman & KingsleyAlabaster Box i. 3He'll light into those hot doughnuts.
1948‘J. Tey’Franchise Affair xxii. 262The girl had lit out... She had dressed in a hurry and gone.
1967Boston Sunday Herald 7 May iv. 5/5Chris did demonstrate he is prepared for a scrap in the coming campaign when he lit into Mrs. Hicks' proposals.
1969Listener 27 Mar. 433/2Like a latter-day Huck Finn, he lights out for the territory.
1969New Yorker 19 Apr. 81/1If the astronaut missed mentioning a rock I knew was there, I'd light into him afterward, just like a football coach critiquing a fumble on a film of a game.
1973Observer 15 Apr. 13/2Inveighing against that new parliamentary building..lighting into..the proposed gymnasium.
II.To descend.Cf.alight v.16. a.intr.To descend from a horse or vehicle; to dismount; to bring one's ride to an end. Also with off, down, adown, (arch.).†Sometimes conjugated with to be.c900tr.Bæda'sHist.iii. xvi.[xxii.](1890) 228He..lyhte of his horse & feoll him to fotum.
c1205Lay.5862Lihteð of eowre blanken and stondeð on eowre sconken.
a1300Cursor M. 3256Biside a well he lighted[Gött. lithed, Trin. liȝt]dun.
1375BarbourBruce xiv. 121The erll of Murreff..Lichtit on fut with his menȝhe.
c1470Golagros & Gaw. 130The knyght..Reynit his palfray of pride, Quhen he ves lightit doune.
1470–85MaloryArthur ix. iii,They haue desdayne..to lyghte of their horses to fyghte with suche a lewde knyght as thou arte.
a1592GreeneOrpharion (1599) 19Set a Begger on horsebacke, and they say he will neuer light.
1596Danetttr.Comines (1614) 188All the nobilitie of Fraunce lighted on foot to fight with the English men.
1691J. WilsonBelphegor iii. i. Dram.Wks.(1874) 330Sir, the company are now lighting at door!
a1766F. SheridanMem.Sidn. Biddulph V. 175,I immediately lit off my horse.
1813ByronGiaour 587Stern Hassan..from his horse Disdains to light.
1868–70MorrisEarthly Par. I. 158While from the horse he lit adown.
†b.trans.(causal) to light (down): to cause to descend; to help to dismount. Obs.a1300Cursor M. 22020He sal þam smett, and dun þam light.
c1420Anturs of Arth. 214Þat is luf paramour..Þat has me liȝte[Thornton MS. gerse me lyghte and lenge]and laft loȝ in a lake.
†7.a.Of persons: To descend, go down from a high place or to a low one. Often inME.used to describe the Incarnation and the Descent into Hell.Occas.refl.Obs.c1175Lamb.Hom.79A mon lihte[L. descendebat]from ierusalem into ierico.
c1220Bestiary 32Vre louerd is te leun, ðe liueð ðer abuuen;..him likede to liȝten her on erðe.
c1225Leg.Kath. 2494Te engles lihten of heuene & heuen hire on heh up.
a1240Lofsong in Cott.Hom.217He lihte in to helle.
a1300Cursor M. 20531,I lighted doun and man be-cam.
a1310in WrightLyric P. 73For sunful folk, suete Jesus, Thou lihtest from the heȝe hous.
1377Langl.P. Pl. B. xi. 240Ihesu cryste on a iewes douȝter alyȝte[MS.W. liȝte], gentil woman þough she were.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xv. 68How..Godd sent wisdom in til erthe and lightid in Virgin Mary.
c1420Anturs of Arth. 164 (DouceMS.)Withe lucyfer in a lake loȝ am I lighte.
c1460TowneleyMyst.vii. 115He will lyght fro heuen towre ffor to be mans saueyoure.
1533GauRicht Vay 54The angel said to the virgine maria ye halie spreit sal licht in the.
†b.to light low: to be brought to the ground; to be degraded or humiliated. Obs.a1225Leg.Kath. 1011Leaf þi lease wit þæt tu wlenchest te in & liht to ure lare.
c1230Hali Meid. 5Þat fram se muchel hehschipe & se seli freodom schal lihte se lahe.
c1320Sir Tristr. 3340Wel louwe he dede hem liȝt Wiþ diolful dintes sare.
a1400–50Alexander 2362Ȝit liȝt he law at þe last for all his lethire prid.
1535StewartCron.Scot.(1858) I. 395Scho makis ane man rycht lawlie for to lycht, Quhome of befoir scho set so hie on hicht.
1570Satir. Poems Reform. xxiv. 64Law sall he lycht downe.
†8.fig.To descend, emanate, proceed. Const. from, of. Obs.a1225Ancr. R. 96Ȝif eni mon bit fort iseon ou, askeð of him hwat god þerof muhte lihten.
a1225Leg.Kath. 1791Te hali gast, hare beire luue, þe lihteð of ham baðe[sc. the Father and the Son].
a1400–50Alexander 599Of þe lyfe þat he liȝt off he like was to nane.
Ibid.4494Ilk lede þat liȝt is of ȝour lede.
9.To fall and settle on a surface, as a bird, a snowflake, a person leaping upon the ground, or the like. Also with down. Phr. to light on one's feet or legs (fig.): to be fortunate or successful (cf.fall v. 65 h, legn.2 c).a1225Ancr. R. 132Brid..uorte sechen his mete..lihteð adun to þer eorðe.
c1250Hymn to Virgin 26 in Trin.Coll.Hom.App.256Þu ert eorþe to gode sede, on þe liȝte þe heouene deuȝ.
a1300Cursor M. 1896Sco[sc. the dove]..fand na sted quare-on to light[Gött. lith].
Ibid.11612Quen iesus sagh þam glopnid be, He lighted of his moderkne.
13..E.E.Allit.P. A. 988,I syȝe..Ierusalem so nwe & ryally dyȝt, As hit was lyȝt fro þe heuen adoun.
1423Jas.I. Kingis Q. clxxvii,A turture..vpon my hand gan lyght.
1490CaxtonEneydos lix. 158That egle that lighted amonge the hepe of swannes.
1530Palsgr.611/1Loke welle where yonder fesante lyghteth.
a1541WyattPoet.Wks.(1831) 109It is possible..to fall highest, yet to light soft.
a1584MontgomerieCherrie & Slae 463Luik quhair to licht before thou loup.
1592WarnerAlb.Eng.viii. xxxix. (1612) 193Snow, that lights & lies a moysture moystles.
1642FullerHoly & Prof.St.iv. i. 244If he must down, he seeks to fall easily, and if possible, to light on his legs.
1667MiltonP.L. iv. 182Th' arch fellon..overleap'd all bound Of Hill or highest Wall, and sheer within Lights on his feet.
1759BrownCompl.Farmer 95If the swarms part, and light in sight of one another.
1828ScottJrnl.6 Mar.,A feather just lighted on the ground can scarce be less concerned where the next blast may carry it.
1832TennysonŒnone 102On the tree-tops a crested peacocklit.
1852ThackerayLett.23 Dec.,I have made scores of new acquaintances and lighted on my legs as usual.
1871L. StephenPlaygr. Eur. iv. (1894) 97You made a..spring, and lighted upon another rock.
10.To have a particular place of incidence or arrival.a.Of a blow, a weapon: To fall and strike; to fall (short, etc.). Now rare.c1375Sc.Leg.Saints xix. (Cristofore) 657Ane arow done cane lycht & rewyt þe king of ane ee-sycht.
1489CaxtonFaytes of A. iii. xxi. 218His arowe lighte upon caym and slew hym.
1532CranmerLet.toHen.VIII in Misc.Writ.(ParkerSoc.) II. 234If the stroke[of an halberd]had not light short.
a1550inDunbar's Poems (1893) 305Fra he begyn to schute his schot, Thow wat nocht quhen that it will licht.
1590SpenserF.Q. i. viii. 18The stroke upon his shield so heavie lites.
1604RowlandsLooke to it 41There flies my Dart, light where it will.
1667MiltonP.L. ix. 173,I reck not, so it[Revenge]light well aim'd.
1710AddisonTatlerNo.155 ⁋2But why in the Heel?.. Because, says I, the Bullet chanced to light there.
1784R. BageBarham Downs II. 277Some of the blows had light upon Lord Somerfort's head and face.
1855StanleyMem.Canterb.ii. (1857) 76The sword lighted on the arm of the monk, which fell wounded.
†b.To come to or arrive in a place; to lodge in some position; to arrive at a point; to fall into a condition; to fall or ‘land’ in a particular place or position. Obs.a1240Sawles Warde in Cott.Hom.249Ha[i.e. Death]lihteð hwer se ha eauer kimeð wið a þusent deoflen.
c1320R. BrunneMedit.47And on a þursday þedyr he lyȝt Wyþ hys dycyplys aȝens nyȝt.
13..E.E. Allit P. A. 247,I am forpayned, & þou in a lyf of lykyng lyȝte In paradys erde.
a1400–50Alexander 4785Quare it[the fire]liȝt on his like it lichid him for euir.
c1400Destr. Troy 13686A longyng vnlefful light in his hert.
1545BrinklowCompl.i. (1874) 8If ye wil seke such ways, than wil the Holy Gost lyght in your councel.
1551RecordePathw.Knowl.i. v,Sette the one foote of the compas in the pricke, where you would haue the plumme line to lighte.
1577–87HolinshedChron.(1807–8) III. 37Let us drinke togither in signe of agreement, that the people..may..know that it is true, that we be light at a point.
1627Lisander &Cal.iii. 54Lidian..entring with a point upon his enemy, lighted just betweene his arme and the curats[=cuirass].
1629DraytonVerses 11 in Sir J. Beaumont's Bosworth F. 14We are light, After those glorious Days, into the Night Of these base Times.
1651T. BarkerArt of Angling (1653) 8The Pearch feeds well, if you light where they be.
1697J. SergeantSolidPhilos.a 2,To make you aware of the way you have either chosen, or light into for want of a better.
c.to light on, upon: to fall or descend upon, as a piece of good or ill fortune, or the like; to descend upon the head of; to fall to the lot of, to be the ‘portion’ of: occas.conjugated with to be, as in theME.phrase my love is light upon (a person).†Also, rarely, to happen to a person.a1310in WrightLyric P. 30Levedi..My love is on the liht.
13..E.E.Allit.P. B. 213With þis worde þat he warp, þe wrake on hym lyȝt.
a1440Sir Degrev. 513My love is leliche y-lyeght One a worthly wyeght.
1526TindaleMatt.xxiii. 36All these thinges shall light apon this generacion.
1556LauderTractate 149Quhat wo and miserie Sall lycht on ȝow.
1579–80NorthPlutarch (1595) 236Honour and reputation lighting on yong men before their time.
1602Shakes.Ham.v. ii. 366But I do prophesie th' election lights On Fortinbras.
1607E. SharphamCupid's Whirligig ii. D 3 b,The plague of Egypt light vppon you all.
1642FullerHoly & Prof.St.iii. xxv. 233The best livings light not alwayes on the ablest men.
1667MiltonP.L. x. 833On mee..all the blame lights due.
1697J. SergeantSolidPhilos.447'Tis evident, that this Eternal Loss of Happiness lights to such Men thro' their acting contrary to their Reason.
1720–21Lett.Mist'sJrnl.(1722) II. 111The Infamy and Reward must then have light on their Heads.
1832H. MartineauIreland iii. 56A final and overwhelming curse had lighted upon the land.
d.Of persons. to light on or upon (or†of): to happen to come upon, chance upon; to meet with or discover,esp.unexpectedly or by accident; to come across, whether as the result of search or not.c1470HenryWallace v. 1068Ner hand..thai lychtyt apon Clyd.
1579SpenserSheph.Cal.Sept. 259Diggon on fewe such freends did euer lite.
1583BabingtonCommandm.viii. (1637) 82Where may we live and not light of false forgers.
1603KnollesHist.Turks (1621) 109Making spoile of whatsoever they light upon.
1655StanleyHist.Philos.ii. (1701) 62/1Not taking heed to the place, he lighted upon a precipice and fell down.
1659FullerApp.Inj.Innoc.i. 34,I thought he had lighten on some rare Evidence, out of the ordinary road.
1687SedleyBellamira iv. i.Wks.(1766) 162If I light of him I'll tear his goatish eyes out.
1738WesleyWks.(1830) I. 38,I called at Alringham, and there lit upon a Quaker.
1779JohnsonLet.to Mrs. Thrale 16 Oct.,How did you light on your specifick for the tooth-ach?
1839–41S. WarrenTen Thous. a Year I. i. 7His eye lit on his ring.
1849C. BrontëShirley I. iv. 76He..opened it[a Bible]like at a chance, and was sure to light of a verse..that set all straight.
1867FreemanNorm.Conq. (1876) I.App.(1876) 547,I have as yet only once lighted on the use of the word in the singular.
e.To come or fall into a person's hands; to chance into a person's company. Now rare or Obs.1562CooperAnsw.Priv. MassePref.,One of the Copies of this answere by occasion, as it fortuned..lighted into my hands.
1651tr.De-las-Coveras' Don Fenise 75The letters which Teodore had sent were read, the which light in her hands unknowne to her father.
1672MarvellCorr.ccv.Wks.1872–5 II. 405Upon Thursday last I accidentally did light into Sir Philip Frowd's company.
1684–5SouthSerm.(1823) I. 221A man by mere peradventure lights into company.
1833H. MartineauBriery Creek iv. 77A philosopher suddenly lighting in an infant community instead of having grown up out of it.
f.To turn out (well, happily); also simply, to fall out, happen, occur. Now dial.1607–12BaconEss., Beauty (Arb.) 212Beautie..for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a litle out of countenance: But yet certainlie againe if it light well, it maketh vertues shyne, and vices blushe.
a1661FullerWorthies, Oxford (1840) III. 6To return to our English proverb, (‘He looks as the devil over Lincoln’) it is conceived of more antiquity than either of the fore-named colleges, though the secondary sense thereof lighted not unhappily, and that it related originally to the cathedral church in Lincoln.
c1746J. Collier (Tim Bobbin)ViewLanc.Dial To Rdr.,Wks.(1862) 34Let't leet heaw't will.
1790Mrs. WheelerWestmld.Dial.(1821) 62Haw leet it preia, dud it ivver run oway afore?
1844DisraeliConingsby vii. ii,Whatever lights, we will stand together.
III.†11.intr.The analogy of the phrase ‘to light from a horse’(see6)suggested the use of the samevb.with preps. of opposite meaning to express the notion antithetic to this. Hence arose the sense: To mount on horseback, into the saddle, etc. Obs.a1450Le Morte Arth. 3355Wrothely in-to hys sadylle he lyght.
c1489CaxtonSonnes of Aymon i. 36Soo lyghted anone on horsebak the goode duke Aymon.
1509HawesPast. Pleas. xxxv. (PercySoc.) 178,I toke my leave and on my stede I lyght.
c1555MachynDiary (Camden) 54He lycted be-hynd a gentleman unto the cowrte.
1570LevinsManip.119/28To Light on horse, ascendere.
▪ VIII.light,v.2|laɪt|Pa.tense andpa.pple.lighted, lit. Forms: 1 líhtan, lýhtan, 3 lihte(n, liȝte, leiten, Orm. lihhtenn, 4 liȝt, liht, lith, 4–5 lighte, 4–6 lyght, Sc.licht, lycht, 5 lyghteyn, (9 dial.leet), 4– light. 3rdsing.pres.ind.1 líht, lýht, 3 liht, licht, 4 Kent. let. pa.tense. α. 1 líhte, lýhte, 3 lihte. β. 2 lihtede 4 liȝtede, 4–6 Sc.lychtit, -yt, 4– lighted; 8 litt, 6– lit. pa.pple.α. 3 liht, 3–4 iliȝt, 4 i-lyȝht, liȝt, 4–5 lyght, (5 lyghth), 4–8 light. β. 3 Orm. lihhtedd, 4–5 liȝtid, 6 lyghted, -yd, Sc.lychtet, lichtit, 4– lighted; 6– lit. γ. 9 pseudo-arch.litten.[OE.líhtan=OS.liuhtian (MDu.lichten, luchten,Du.lichten),OHG.liuhten (mod.G. leuchten),Goth.liuhtjan:—OTeut.*liuhtjan,f.*leuhto- lightn.or a.2]†1.a.intr.To give or shed light; to shine; to be alight or burning. Also, to lighten. Obs.c1000Ags.Gosp.John i. 5Þæt leoht lyht on ðystrum.
c1000ælfricGram.xxii. (Z.) 128Fulminat, hit liht.
c1250Kent.Serm.in O.E.Misc.27Si gode beleaue licht and is bricht ine þo herte of þo gode Manne ase gold.
c1290Beket 1382Þe cloudene hire[sc. þe sonne]ouer-cast þat-heo ne mai no leng liȝte.
c1300Cursor M. 24942Þe lem can light, þe storm it fel.
c1374ChaucerBoeth. iii. metr. xi. 79 (Camb.MS.)Thilke thing that the blake cloude of errour whilom hadde y-couered, shal lyhten more clerly thanne phebus hym self ne shyneth.
c1386―Pars. T. ⁋963Right so shal youre light lighten bifore men.
14..Ave Regina in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 146Heyle tho lampe that euer is lyghtand To hye and lowe to ryche and pore.
1646CrashawSteps,Ps.xxiii. 66A beame that falls, Fresh from the pure glance of Thine eye, Lighting to Eternity.
a1774Goldsm.tr.Scarron'sCom.Romance (1775) II. 185And that instant the taper which was lighting in the room was burnt out.
†b.Of day, etc.: To grow light. Sometimes conjugated with to be. Obs.a1000Cædmon'sDan.158 (Gr.)Þa dæᵹ lyte.
c1205Lay.28314Ase þe dæi gon lihte heo bigunnen to fihten.
1382Wyclif2Sam.xvii. 22To the tyme that the dai were liȝtid[Vulg.donec dilucesceret].
1596Shakes.1Hen.IV, iii. ii. 138And that shall be the Day, when ere it lights[etc.].
2. a.trans.To set burning (a candle, lamp, torch); to kindle (a fire); to apply a light to (a combustible); to ignite. (Pa.pple.lighted, lit,†light=alight.) Also with up. †to light off: to ignite as an explosive.1154O.E.Chron.an. 1140 (LaudMS.)Me lihtede candles to æten bi.
a1225Leg.Kath. 1411And tis ferliche fur schal lihten in ow þe halwende lei of þe hali gast.
c1300Havelok 585Blou the fir, and lith a kandel.
c1375Sc.Leg.Saints xvii. (Martha) 176Þe sergis al scho lychtyt, bathe gret & smal.
a1400–50Alexander 4231–2Many liȝtis of a liȝt is liȝtid othire-quile, And ȝ it þe liȝt at þam liȝtis is liȝtid as before.
c1400Destr. Troy 11792No fyre wold be light; þat assait was full sothely of sere men full ofte.
a1450Knt. de la Tour (1868) 23He fonde..the candelle light.
1506inMem.Hen.VII (Rolls) 282Having great torches lit in his and divers other ships.
a1547BaleImage bothCh.xiii. (1550) f 1,The candle that he lyght vs to se ouer the house.
1590SpenserF.Q. i. v. 19Shyning lampes in Joves high house were light.
1604E. GrimstoneHist.Siege Ostend 219With..their matches light, Bullet in the mouth.
1645WallerOf the Queen 14Thither my Muse, like bold Prometheus, flyes To light her torch at Gloriana's eyes.
1649RobertsClavis Bibl.Introd.ii. 29What brightnesse is this I see? Have you light up any Candles?
1711AddisonSpect.No.46 ⁋4,I twisted it into a kind of Match, and litt my Pipe with it.
1717EntertainerNo.5 (1718) 28Like Gunpowder, when they are lighted off, they[the mob]scatter Ruin and Destruction around them.
1763in BrandHist.Newcastle (1789) I. 20 note,The lamps put up in the streets..were lighted up for the first time.
1852Mrs. StoweUncle Tom's C. xxxvi,How would ye like to be tied to a tree, and have a slow fire lit up around ye?
1854W. CollinsHide & Seek ii. ix. (1861) 235‘He's the most generous fellow in the world’, continued Zack, lighting a cigar.
1856EmersonEng.Traits, UniversitiesWks.(Bohn) II. 91No candle or fire is ever lighted in the Bodleian.
1890Haggard & LangWorld's Desire 128A lamp for our feet the Lord hath litten.
b.transf.and fig.1679Dryden & LeeŒdipus ii. 28If an immodest thought, or low desire, Inflam'd my breast, since first our Loves were lighted.
1752YoungBrothers iv. i,Each morn my life I lighted at her eye.
1866B. TaylorAnastasia Poems 267Thine eyes were lit from other skies.
1883B. W. RichardsonField of Disease 211It[Phthisis]..in nine cases out of ten is first lighted up by cold.
c.absol.to light up: to light one's pipe, cigar, etc. colloq.1861HughesTom Brown atOxf.xlix,‘I suppose I may light up’, said Drysdale..pulling out his cigar-case.
1943J. B. PriestleyDaylight on Saturday ix. 55Blandford opened..a very fine silver cigarette-box, and both men lit up and were then silent.
1959C. WilliamsMan in Motion i. 6,I ripped open a packet of the cigarettes, found some matches..and lighted up.
1970H. E. RobertsThird Ear 9/2Light up, to light a marijuana cigarette.
d.intr.To take fire, be lighted; transf.to ‘kindle’, become suffused with light.c1400Mandeville (1839) v. 60His Lampe schal lighte..withouten touchinge of onyMan.
1820–71A. CaryPoems (1876) 94The eve had just begun to light, Along the lovelywest.
1845A. M. HallWhiteboy xi. 97A sky, just lighting into a pale, bright gray—an intimation of the first dawn of morning.
fig.1860Geo.Eliot Mill onFl.ii. iv.‘You poor-spirited imp,’ said Tom, lighting up immediately at Philip's fire.
3. a.trans.To give light to (a room or the like); to make light or luminous; to illuminate; esp.to furnish with the ordinary means of illumination. (Rarely with up.)c1200Ormin 7279Crist iss ec soþ sunnebæm Þatt all þiss werelld lihhteþþ.
c1205Lay.25595Mid his feure he lihte al þis lond-riche.
c1250Hymn Virgin 12 in Trin.Coll.Hom.App.255A leome newe þat al þis world haueð iliȝt.
c1385ChaucerL.G.W. 2506 Phillis,The mone hath..Syn that thylke day..foure tymes lyght the worlde ageyn.
c1400Destr. Troy 6038Torchis and tendlis the tenttes to light.
1509HawesPast. Pleas. i. x,Cleare Dyana..Gan for to ryse, lightyng our emispery.
1593Shakes.Rich.II, iii. ii. 38When the searching Eye of Heaven is hid Behind the Globe, that lights the lower world.
1715Notice in Lond.Gaz.No.5351/3They intend to..grant Liberty for Lighting the City of London.
1802CampbellHohenlinden ii,Commanding fires of death to light The darkness of her scenery.
1840PennyCycl.XVIII. 292/1St.Andrew's church..is lighted with gas.
1849MacaulayHist.Eng.iii. I. 362Letters patent conveying to him for a term of years, the exclusive right of lighting up London.
1860Merc.MarineMag.VII. 216The Irish Channel is well lighted.
1870MorrisEarthly Par. II. iii. 184When he Had..reached the hut now litten bright.
1875HowellsForegoneConcl.3An apartment so brightly lit by a window looking on the sunny canal.
b.to light up: to furnish or fill with abundance of light; to illuminate in a special manner; to bring into prominence by means of light.1711AddisonSpect.No.50 ⁋7A huge Room lighted up with abundance of Candles.
Ibid.No.90 ⁋7The Room was lighted up on all Sides.
1824W. IrvingT.Trav.II. 146Lit up by the rising moon.
1855MacaulayHist.Eng.xi. III. 1In the evening every window from Whitechapel to Piccadilly was lighted up.
1884‘Rita’Vivienne ii. iii,The spring sunshine lit up the grey towers.
fig.1859JephsonBrittany xi. 180Once you can succeed in lighting up their imaginations.
c.transf.(Chiefly with up.) To cause (the eyes, features) as it were to gleam with animation or lively expression. Also, to brighten up (writing). Also intr.for refl.or pass.a1766F. SheridanMem.Sidn. Biddulph IV. 77Her expressive features all lit up with Joy.
1787F. BurneyDiary 13 July,A ray of genius..instantly lights up his whole countenance.
1800E. HerveyMourtrayFam.I. 269Her eyes lighted with pleasure.
1826DisraeliViv. Grey v. viii,A smile, rather of pity than derision, lighted up her face.
1854H. RogersEss.(1860) II. 20The style of Locke is..perpetually lighted up with vivacious illustration.
1855A. ManningOld Chelsea Bun-house vii. 110,I never saw a Face light up with Joy as Gatty's did, that Moment.
1867FreemanNorm.Conq. (1876) I.App.694He lights up and gives us a spirited account.
1888BesantInner House ii. 34,I see the faces of all light up with satisfaction.
1888BurgonLives 12Gd.Men II. xii. 349All his face[would]become lighted up with the fun of the story.
4.To give light to (a person) so as to enable him to see what he is doing; hence, to show the way to. lit.and fig.Also absol.c1200Ormin 19089Soþ lihht..Þat lihhteþ all þatt lihhtedd iss, To gan þe rihhte weȝȝe.
1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 206Prayer..lightyth a man to the lowe of god.
1551RecordePathw.Knowl.To Rdr.,If my light may so light some other, to espie and marke my faultes.
1565CooperThesaurus,s.v.Fax,Præferre facem adolescentulo ad libidinem, To be an example or sterer of a yonge man to lecherie..as it were to light him the way.
1604E. G[rimstone]D'Acosta'sHist.Indies iv. viii. 230Those that labour therein, vse candles to light them.
1605Shakes.Macb.v. v. 22. 1609 T. Cocks Diary (1901) 83Given the Sonne[inn]boye Pawle for lightinge mee home jd.
1664ButlerHud. ii. iii. 817Were the Stars only made to light Robbers and Burglarers by night?
1665BoyleOccas.Refl.iii. ii,Methinks the blaze of this Fire should light me to discern something instructive in it.
c1700Earl Montagu inBuccleuchMSS.(Hist.MSS.Comm.) I. 350A Dutch lanthorn of horn upon a great stick, to light before a coach when it is dark.
a1766F. SheridanMem.Sidn. Biddulph V. 267A little spark of that virtue which..might have lit me to happiness and honour.
18..Oranges & Lemons in Mrs. Gomme Tradit. Games (1898) II. 27Here comes a candle to light you to bed.
1858HawthorneFr.&It.Jrnls.I. 121Poetical faith enough to light her cheerfully through all these mists of incredulity.
5.To enlighten or illumine spiritually or intellectually. ? Obs.or arch.c1175Lamb.Hom.63Þet he..mid his halie gast us lihte.
c1200Ormin 18990All mannkinn iss lihhtedd Þurrh fulluhht & þurrh Crisstenndom.
c1320Cast. Love 793That is the clere love and bryȝht That heo is alle with i-lyȝht.
c1386ChaucerSec. Nun's T. 71And of thy light my soule in prison lighte.
1422tr.Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 133God..light ȝoure resoun, and make cleer ȝoure vnderstondynge.
1535CoverdaleHeb.vi. 4They which were once lighted & haue taisted of the heauenly gyfte.
1552Abp.Hamilton Catech.(1884) 42Your hartis salbe lichtit with the licht of grace.
1819HeberHymn, ‘From Greenland's icy mountains’,We, whose souls are lighted With Wisdom from on high.
6.absol.To dispose the light in a picture.1889Pall Mall G. 18 Jan. 3/1Rembrandt lighted falsely for the sake of effect.
▪ IX.lighterroneous spelling of lite, leetn.21833Rep.Sel.Committee on Municipal Corporations 304[At Hull]the mayor and alderman put out two names called lights, on a vacancy for alderman.
Ibid.305The chamberlains[of Hull]..are chosen by the burgesses out of four lights.
