▪ I.alight,v.¹|əˈlaɪt|Forms: 1 alíht-an, 2–4 aliȝten, 4 alyȝt-en, 4–5 alight-e(n, 5 alyght(e, 7 alite, 5– alight. pa.tense 1–3 alíhte, 3–4 aliȝte, 5–6 alight, alyght, 6– alighted, (9 alit). pa.pple.1–3 aliht, 3–4 aliȝt, alyȝt, 4–5 alight, 5 alyght, 6– alighted, (9 alit).[OE.alíhtan,f.a- prefix 1 + líhtan: see light v.¹]I.Referring chiefly to the action: To spring.1.To spring or jump lightly down from (ofobs.) a horse; hence, To dismount from a horse or descend out of a conveyance.c1000ælfricGram.xxx. §3. 191Dissilio, ic of alíhte.1250Layam.26337Adun hii gonne alihte of hire gode stedes.c1300Beket 1854Of his palefrai he aliȝte adoun.c1450LonelichGrail lii. 585Down he alyhte of his rownsy.Ibid.xxv. 151He ne dorste..owt of his sadil alyhte.1475CaxtonJason 10 b,Peleus and Jason were alighted from their hors.1530Palsgr.420/2,I alight downe of a horse.1578T. N.tr.Conq. W. India 321And he alyghting from his horse.a1674ClarendonHist.Reb.III. xiv. 404His Majesty alighted out of his Coach.1699DrydenFlower & Leaf 304The victors from their lofty steeds alight.1857DickensLett.(1880) II. 31Station-masters assist him to alight from carriages.1863A. JamesonLeg.Monast.Ord.36The emperor has just alighted from his charger.†2.To spring lightly, to vault on or upon, to mount. Obs.c1380Sir Ferumb. 2938And wan Ro[land]was on his[stede]alyȝt? to is felawes þanne a sede.1509HawesPast. Pleas. xxxiii. vi,I alyght anone upon my gentyll stede.†3.To spring forth. Obs.c1450LonelichGrail II. 156From that there cam a roser ful stronge..As on tre owt of anothir scholde alyht.II.Referring chiefly to the result: To land.4. a.To get down from a horse or conveyance; to dismount or descend for the time; to finish one's ride, stop.1205Layam.26618Heo letten alle þa horsmen i þan wude alihten.a1300Floriz & Bl. 21At þe selue huse hi buþ aliȝt Þat blauncheflur was þat oþer niȝt.c1386ChaucerClerk's T. 925Abouten undern gan this erl alight.1480CaxtonChron.Eng.ccxliv. 300They come rydyng thurgh the Cyte of london vnto seynt poules and ther they alyght.1598BarretTheor. Warres iv i. 101That if occasion be offered, euery mounted souldier may alight.1596Shakes.Merch.V. ii. ix. 87Madam, there is a-lighted at your gate, A yong Venetian.1659in RushworthHist.Coll.I. 77Being alighted at the Palace-gate.1678Yng.Mans Call. 364She was fain to alite under a hedge, and there to trim her self as well as she could.1742RichardsonPamela III. 351We alighted, and walked a little way.1824DibdinLibr.Comp.224He happens to alight at an inn.1872JenkinsonEng.Lakes (1879) 200On alighting at the Threlkeld station cross the line.†b.To stop in a course or journey, to arrive. Obs.rare.1596SpenserF.Q. i. xii. 25Fast before the king he did alight.†5.gen.To go or come down, to descend. Obs.c1175Lamb.Hom.79Þes Mon þhet a lihte from ierusalem in to ierico.c1230Ancr. R. 248God Almihti..alihte adun to helle.c1260Signsbef.Judgem. in E.E.P. (1862) 7Þe grace of ihsu..mote a mang vs nuþe aliȝte.c1320Cast. Love 653He..That from hevyn to erthe alyȝht.a1420HoccleveDeReg.Princ.1141Right as she made me clymbe on hight..so she may make me alight.1483CaxtonG. de la Tour g viij b,As soone as she was a lyght out of her child bedde.6.To descend and settle, to land on one's feet anywhere (and so contrasted with falling); hence, to land on a spot by floating, flying, or falling lightly, as a bird from the wing, a snow-flake, etc. Also of an aircraft: to land.1297R.Glouc.433After þat our Lorde was in hys moder alyȝt.c1314Guy Warw. 270Opon Sir Gy, that gentil knight, Ywis, mi love is alle alight.c1320Cast. Love 1291Þulke God alle þing dihte Þat in þe swete Mayden alihte.c1450LonelichGrail xii. 208Goddis sone of hevene, That into þe maide alyhte.1596SpenserF.Q. i. iii. 20The heavie hap, which on them is alight.1786J. JeffriesNarr.2 Aerial Voyages 16After alighting for a moment..M. Blanchard threw out the remaining part of our sand ballast.1816J. WilsonCity of Plague ii. ii. 192A wondrous bird That ne'er alights to fold her wings.1818ByronMazeppa xviii,I saw his wing through twilight flit, And once so near me he alit.a1849PoeAngel of OddWks.1864 IV. 308,I alit upon my feet.1860TyndallGlac.i. §18. 124A grey cloud alighted on the shoulder of the Lyskamm.1958Times 17 Oct. 3/4To see and feel the aircraft obeying the dictates of unseen devices..as we were about to alight along the centre⁓line of the runway.7.To fall (on or upon) as a blow, or projectile, to descend and strike. arch.c1300in WrightPop.Sc.136No wonder þeȝ hit smite harde þer hit doþ aliȝte.a1700Dryden (J.),Storms of stones..Pour down and on our batter'd helms alight.1824J. H. WiffenTasso's Jerus.Deliv.xi. xxxv,A huge round rock..upon his crown Alit, and rudely beat the' heroic soldier down.8.To land, fall, or come upon anything without design; to light upon. Chieflyconst.on.1858FroudeHist.Eng.IV. 549By good fortune..I alighted on a collection ofMSS.in the State Paper Office.1925F. Scott FitzgeraldGreat Gatsby vii. 148,I realized that so far his suspicions hadn't alighted on Tom.1961S. GillespieNeighbour vi. 93Her flat was pretty much what he had expected; the apartment of a rich woman of taste, and his eye immediately alighted on a Degas.1984Financial Times i. 19/4,I believe you may already have alighted upon the reason for some of the scepticism shown towards business graduates mentioned in ‘Business Schools under Siege’.▪ II.†aˈlight,v.² Obs.[?f.a- prefix 1 + light v.²,OE.líhtan; or light a. Butcf.OE.ᵹelíhtan, which may be the actual source; see a- prefix 6.]To make light, or less heavy; to lighten, alleviate (a burden); to relieve (the bearer).[c885K. ælfredPast. Care 159Ðonne hie willað him selfum ðæt yfel..ᵹelihtan.a1000Laws Penit. 19 (Thorpe II. 286)Mid xxx mæssan man mæᵹ ᵹelíhtan xii monða festen.c1230Ancr. R. 356Þet ich beo ilihted of hore heuinesse.]1388WyclifIs. ix. 1The lond of Zabulon..was aliȝted ether releessid.1393GowerConf.II. 278,I might Some of my grete peine alight.c1449PecockRepr. v. xiii. 550For this..cause of aliȝting poor men.1483CaxtonG. de la Tour d vij b,She wende to alyght her euylle and her synne.▪ III.†aˈlight,v.³ Obs.Forms: 1 aléoht-an, alýht-an, alíhtan, 2–3 aliht-en, alyht-en, 4 aliȝt-en, alyȝt-en, 4–7 alight(e, (7 adlight). pa.tense 1–3 alíhte, etc., 3–4 aliȝte, 4–5 alight, 6–7 alighted. pa.pple.1 alihted, 2 aliht, 4–6 alight, 6–7 alighted.[Probably the twoOE.verbs a-líhtan (? with a- prefix 1;cf.OHG.arliuhtan,mod.G. erleuchten) and on-líhtan(seea- prefix 2), both ‘to shine upon, light up,’ are here represented, if indeed the solitaryOE.instance of alíhtan be not merely a later form of onlíhtan.]1.To light, light up, illumine.c1000Ags. Metr.Ps.cxxxviii. (-ix.) 10Þu þá onlíhtest niht, þæt heó byð dæᵹe ᵹelíc.c1000ælfricGen.i. 15And hiᵹ..alihton þa eorþan.c1175Lamb.Hom.185Þu..hauest aliht mi þester heorte.1340Ayenb. 109Þet þe holy gost ous wille alyȝte þe herte.1393GowerConf.II. 183A fiery piller hem alight.1577tr.Bullinger's Decades (1592) 550To goe about with a tallow candle to helpe or adlight the sunne at his rising.1634Malory's Arthur (1816) II. 216They were alighted of the grace of the Holy Ghost.2.To set light to, to light (a fire, etc.).1340Ayenb. 66Huanne me alyȝt þet uer.c1400Lay le Freine 199Anon fer sche alight, And warmed it wele aplight.1590Eng.Rom.Life in Harl.Misc.(Malh.) II. 183When the schollers come they alight their lamps.1620SheltonQuix.(R.)Having..alighted his lamp.▪ IV.alight,a.|əˈlaɪt|[app.orig.pa.pple.of alight v.³ (under which seequot.dated 1175); but placed by form-assoc. in the same series with a-fire, a-blaze, a-sleep, a-live,i.e.on fire, in a blaze, etc. and so now used only predicatively, whereas it was formerlyattrib.also.]1.Lighted, kindled, in a flame; on fire. Also fig.c1420Pallad. onHusb.v. 208A brason vessel..Alight atte nyght.1675T. BrooksGold. KeyWks.1867 V. 242To see all the world on a-light fire about them.1743BolingbrokeRem.Hist.Eng.Pref.,A Beacon to be kept continually alight.1860HawthorneMarble Farm (1879) I. xx. 202To set alight the devotion of the worshippers.1863SalaCapt.Dang. III. v. 156She was alight, and ran about the scene, screaming piteously.1876Mrs. WhitneySights & Ins. iii. 18The girls, of course, were all alight about it.1878HuxleyPhysiogr.82The number of gas-burners, lamps, or candles alight.1882R. StevensonNewArab.N. II. 90The whole pavilion..had gone alight like a box of matches.2.Lighted up, illumined. Also fig.1842Mrs. BrowningGrk.Chr.Poets 62Some marbles are like new dropt snow, and some Alight with blackness.1861ThackerayFour Georges iii. (1862) 169The chapel was scarcely alight.1881ShorthouseJ. Inglesant II. i. 6All alight with the morning sun.▪ V.†aˈlight,ppl.a.Obs.[pa.pple.of alight v.¹]Alighted, dismounted, arrived.c1386ChaucerProl.722Whan we were in that hostelrie alyght.1469GregoryHist.Coll.(1876) 188Anon as he was a lyght of hys hors, he was arestyde.1626ShirleyMaid'sRev.ii. i,A pretty, handsome stripling new alight.