1light1 (laɪt
)
Definitions
noun
- the medium of illumination that makes sight possible
visible radiation electromagnetic radiation that is capable of causing a visual sensation and has wavelengths from about 380 to about 780 nanometres- (not in technical usage) electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength outside this range, esp ultraviolet radiation ⇒
ultraviolet light
- the sensation experienced when electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum falls on the retina of the eye photo-
- anything that illuminates, such as a lamp or candle
- See traffic light
- a particular quality or type of light ⇒
a good light for reading
- illumination from the sun during the day; daylight
- the time this appears; daybreak; dawn
- anything that allows the entrance of light, such as a window or compartment of a window
- the condition of being visible or known (esp in the phrases bring the condition of being visible or known (esp in the phrases or come to light)
- an aspect or view ⇒
he saw it in a different light
- mental understanding or spiritual insight
- a person considered to be an authority or leader
- brightness of countenance, esp a sparkle in the eyes
- the act of igniting or kindling something, such as a cigarette
- something that ignites or kindles, esp in a specified manner, such as a spark or flame
- something used for igniting or kindling, such as a match
- See lighthouse
- the effect of illumination on objects or scenes, as created in a picture
- an area of brightness in a picture, as opposed to shade
- a poetic or archaic word for eyesight
- the answer to a clue in a crossword
- See in light of
- See light at the end of the tunnel
- See out like a light
- See see the light
- See see the light
- See shed light on
- See stand in a person's light
- See strike a light
adjective
- full of light; well-lighted
- (of a colour) reflecting or transmitting a large amount of light ⇒
light yellow
Compare medium (sense 2) , dark (sense 2) - phonetics relating to or denoting an () pronounced with front vowel resonance; clear ⇒
the French "l" is much lighter than that of English
See dark (sense 9)
verb
Word forms: lights, lighting, lighted, lit, lɪt
- to ignite or cause to ignite
- (often foll by up) to illuminate or cause to illuminate
- to make or become cheerful or animated
- (tr) to guide or lead by light
Alternative Forms
ˈlightish adjective ˈlightless adjectiveWord Origin
Old English lēoht; related to Old High German lioht, Gothic liuhath, Latin luxSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
brightness,
illumination,
luminosity,
luminescence,
ray of light flash of light
shining,
glow,
blaze,
sparkle,
glare,
gleam,
brilliance,
glint,
lustre,
radiance,
incandescence,
phosphorescence,
scintillation,
effulgence,
lambency,
refulgence,
=
aspect,
approach,
attitude,
context,
angle,
point of view,
interpretation,
viewpoint,
slant,
standpoint,
vantage point,
=
understanding,
knowledge,
awareness,
insight,
information,
explanation,
illustration,
enlightenment,
comprehension,
illumination,
elucidation,
=
daybreak,
morning,
dawn,
sun,
sunrise,
sunshine,
sunlight,
daylight,
daytime,
sunbeam,
morn,
cockcrow,
broad day
=
bright,
brilliant,
shining,
glowing,
sunny,
illuminated,
luminous,
well-lighted well-lit
lustrous,
aglow,
well-illuminated
=
pale,
fair,
faded,
blonde,
blond,
bleached,
pastel,
light-coloured,
whitish,
light-toned light-hued
2light2 (laɪt)
Definitions
adjective
- not heavy; weighing relatively little
- having relatively low density ⇒
magnesium is a light metal
- lacking sufficient weight; not agreeing with standard or official weights
- not great in degree, intensity, or number ⇒
light rain
a light eater
- without burdens, difficulties, or problems; easily borne or done ⇒
a light heart
light work
- graceful, agile, or deft ⇒
light fingers
- not bulky or clumsy
- not serious or profound; entertaining ⇒
light verse
- without importance or consequence; insignificant ⇒
no light matter
- frivolous or capricious
- loose in morals
- dizzy or unclear ⇒
a light head
- (of bread, cake, etc) spongy or well leavened
- easily digested ⇒
a light meal
- relatively low in alcoholic content ⇒
a light wine
- (of a soil) having a crumbly texture
- (of a vessel, lorry, etc)
- designed to carry light loads
- not loaded
- carrying light arms or equipment ⇒
light infantry
- (of an industry) engaged in the production of small consumer goods using light machinery Compare heavy (sense 10)
- aeronautics (of an aircraft) having a maximum take-off weight less than 5670 kilograms (12 500 pounds)
- chemistry (of an oil fraction obtained from coal tar) having a boiling range between about 100° and 210°C
- (of a railway) having a narrow gauge, or in some cases a standard gauge with speed or load restrictions not applied to a main line
- bridge
- (of a bid) made on insufficient values
- (of a player) having failed to take sufficient tricks to make his contract
- phonetics prosody (of a syllable, vowel, etc) unaccented or weakly stressed; short Compare heavy (sense 13) See also light1 (sense 30)
- phonetics the least of three levels of stress in an utterance, in such languages as English
- See light on
- See make light of
adverb
- a less common word for lightly
- with little equipment, baggage, etc ⇒
to travel light
verb
Word forms: lights, lighting, lighted, lit, lɪt
(intr) - (esp of birds) to settle or land after flight
- to get down from a horse, vehicle, etc
- on or upon to come upon unexpectedly
- to strike or fall on ⇒
the choice lighted on me
Alternative Forms
ˈlightish adjective ˈlightly adverb ˈlightness nounWord Origin
Old English lēoht; related to Dutch licht, Gothic leihtsSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
insubstantial,
thin,
delicate,
lightweight,
easy,
slight,
portable,
buoyant,
airy,
flimsy,
underweight,
not heavy
transportable,
lightsome,
imponderous
=
insignificant,
small,
minute,
tiny,
slight,
petty,
trivial,
trifling,
inconsequential,
inconsiderable,
unsubstantial,
=
light-hearted,
pleasing,
funny,
entertaining,
amusing,
diverting,
witty,
trivial,
superficial,
humorous,
gay,
trifling,
frivolous,
unserious
Light (laɪt)
Definitions
noun
- God regarded as a source of illuminating grace and strength
- Quakerism short for Inner Light
Quotations
"And God said, Let there be light; and there was light"
Bible: Genesis
Translations
- British English:
light
Something that is light is not heavy.The chair is quite light so we can move it if we want to.laɪt ADJECTIVE The chair is quite light so we can move it if we want to.
- Spanish:
ligero
adj ligera
- French:
léger
adj
- German:
leicht
adj
- Chinese: 轻的 adj
- Arabic: خَفِيفٌ adj
- Portuguese: leve adj
- Russian: легкий adj легкая
- Croatian: lagan adj lagana
- Czech: lehký adj
- Danish: let adj
- Dutch: licht adj
- Finnish: kevyt adj
- Greek: ελαφρύς adj ελαφριά
- Italian: leggero adj leggera
- Japanese: 軽い adj
- Korean: 가벼운 adj
- Norwegian: lett adj
- Polish: lekki adj lekka
- Brazilian Portuguese: leve adj
- European Spanish:
ligero
adj ligera
- Swedish: lätt adj
- Thai: เบา adj
- Turkish: hafif adj
- Vietnamese: nhẹ adj
- British English:
light
If a place is light, it is bright because of the sun or lamps.It gets light at about 6 in the morning.laɪt ADJECTIVE It gets light at about 6 in the morning.
- Spanish:
claro
adj clara
- French:
clair
adj
- German:
hell
adj
- Chinese: 明亮的 adj
- Arabic: مُضِيءٌ adj
- Portuguese: claro adj clara
- Russian: светлый adj светлая
- Croatian: svijetao adj svijetla
- Czech: světlý adj
- Danish: lys adj
- Dutch: licht adj
- Finnish: valoisa adj
- Greek: φωτεινός adj φωτεινή
- Italian: chiaro adj chiara
- Japanese: 明るい no_posp
- Korean: 밝은 adj
- Norwegian: lys adj lyst
- Polish: jasny adj jasna
- Brazilian Portuguese: claro adj clara
- European Spanish:
claro
adj clara
- Swedish: ljus adj ljust
- Thai: สว่าง adj
- Turkish: açık adj
- Vietnamese: sáng adj
- British English:
light
Light is the bright energy that comes from the sun, that lets you see things.A little light comes into the room through the thin curtains.laɪt NOUN A little light comes into the room through the thin curtains.
- Spanish:
luz
nf
- French:
lumière
nf
- German:
Licht
nnt
- Chinese: 光亮 n
- Arabic: ضَوْءٌ n
- Portuguese: luz nf
- Russian: свет nm
- Croatian: svjetlo nnt
- Czech: světlo nnt
- Danish: lys nnt
- Dutch: licht nnt
- Finnish: valo n
- Greek: φως nnt
- Italian: luce nf
- Japanese: 光 n
- Korean: 불 n
- Norwegian: lys nnt
- Polish: światło nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: luz nf
- European Spanish:
luz
nf
- Swedish: ljus nnt
- Thai: แสงสว่าง n
- Turkish: ışık n
- Vietnamese: ánh sáng n
- British English:
light
When you light a fire, it starts burning.We used a whole box of matches to light the fire.laɪt VERB We used a whole box of matches to light the fire.
- Spanish:
iluminar
v
- French:
allumer
vt
- German:
beleuchten
v
- Chinese: 点燃 v
- Arabic: يُضِيئُ vt
- Portuguese: iluminar v
- Russian: светить v
- Croatian: osvijetliti v
- Czech: zapálit v zapalovat
- Danish: oplyse v
- Dutch: ontbranden v
- Finnish: valaista v
- Greek: φωτίζω v
- Italian: illuminare v
- Japanese: ともす v
- Korean: 불을 붙이다 v
- Norwegian: lyse v
- Polish: zapalić v zapalać
- Brazilian Portuguese: acender vt
- European Spanish:
iluminar
v
- Swedish: tända v
- Thai: จุดไฟ v
- Turkish: yakmak v
- Vietnamese: thắp sáng v
- British English:
light
A light is something, like a lamp, that allows you to see.There was only one small light in the room.laɪt NOUN There was only one small light in the room.
- French:
lampe
nf
- Arabic: ضَوْء n
- Brazilian Portuguese: luz nf
Usage examples
He looked away, seemed to stare into space, then turned back to me: `You just went straight through a red light.
, THE EXECUTION (2002)A glazed external elevation fills a once-useless service yard with natural light.
Country Life (2004)A former adviser to Mr Reynolds, Mr Seán Duignan, recalled Mr Teahon as a leading light in the Department.
Irish Times (2002)In Germany, the New Leipzig Quartet is shedding startling fresh light on Schubert.
Glasgow Herald (2001)It was like being trapped in a railway tunnel with a locomotive coming at you without a light.
, FATAL STORM (2001)