light
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: līt
ipa: /laɪt/
ipa: [laɪt]
ipa: [lɑjt]
ipa: [ɫɐɪt]
ipa: [ləjt]
ipa: [lɑɪt]
rhymes: -aɪt
homophone: lite
Forms: form: lighter
form: lightest
form: lite
form: lighte
form: lyght
form: lyghte
form: licht
Etymology: From Old English lēoht, līht, from Proto-West Germanic *lį̄ht, from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz or *līhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“light”).
Cognate with Dutch licht, German leicht, Swedish lätt, Norwegian lett, Albanian lehtë, Latin levis, Russian лёгкий (ljóxkij), Lithuanian lengvas, Sanskrit लघु (laghu), Persian لاغر (lāghar).
Senses: examples: text: a light load ; a lighter backpack after having removed the books ; light weapons
text: These weights did not exert their natural gravity […] insomuch that I could not guess which was light or heavy whilst I held them in my hand.
ref: 1712 September 1 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “THURSDAY, August 21, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 463; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
glosses: Having little or relatively little actual weight; not cumbrous or unwieldy.
examples: text: feathers and cork are light ; oil is lighter than water
glosses: Having little weight as compared with bulk; of little density or specific gravity.
examples: text: to issue light coin
glosses: Of short or insufficient weight; weighing less than the legal, standard, or proper amount; clipped or diminished.
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
Free from burden or impediment; unencumbered.
examples: text: a light aircraft ; a light tank
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
Lightly built; typically designed for speed or small loads.
examples: text: light infantry; a troop of light horse
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.
examples: text: if a ship is light or partially loaded ; the light draft of a vessel, or its light displacement
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
Riding high because of no cargo; by extension, pertaining to a ship which is light.
raw_tags: of a ship
examples: text: the light locomotives ; a locomotive may be moved light
text: On that August Thursday afternoon, there was little freight traffic; a large "K3" Mogul went down with a short, fast goods, and a W.D. 2-8-0 proceeded northward light.
ref: 1951 January, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Essex and Hertfordshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 44:
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
Without any piece of equipment attached or attached only to a caboose.
raw_tags: of a locomotive or consist of locomotives
glosses: Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
With low viscosity.
examples: text: a light bread ; sponge cake is a light cake
topics: cooking
food
lifestyle
glosses: Not heavy or soggy; spongy; well raised.
examples: text: This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it.
glosses: Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
examples: text: a light drizzle//a light rain was falling//a light snow set in
glosses: Slight, not forceful or intense; small in amount or intensity.
examples: text: This artist clearly had a light, flowing touch.
glosses: Gentle; having little force or momentum.
examples: text: light duties around the house
text: Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.
ref: 1697, Virgil, “Palamon and Arcite”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
glosses: Easy to endure or perform.
examples: text: I made some light comment, and we moved on.
text: He had drunk more than was fit for him, and he was singing some light song, when he saw approaching, as he said, the pale horse mentioned in the Revelation, with Death seated as the rider.
ref: 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
glosses: Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
examples: text: Long after lay he musing at her mood, / Much grieu'd to thinke that gentle Dame so light, / For whose defence he was to shed his blood.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
text: So do not you; for you are a light girl.
ref: c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
text: A light wife doth make a heavy husband.
ref: c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
glosses: Unchaste, wanton.
examples: text: Unmarried men are best friends, best masters […] but not always best subjects, for they are light to run away.
ref: 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Marriage and Single Life”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
glosses: Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.
examples: text: a light, vain person; a light mind
text: There is no greater argument of a light and inconsiderate person than profanely to scoff at religion.
ref: 1633, John Tillotson, The Wisdom of being Religious:
glosses: Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile.
examples: text: Ogden Nash was a writer of light verse.
text: Seneca can not be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.
ref: c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
text: specimens of New England humour laboriously light and lamentably mirthful
ref: 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Old News:
glosses: Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.
examples: text: Are his wits safe? Is he not light of brain?
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
glosses: Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.
examples: light sleep; light anesthesia
glosses: Easily interrupted by stimulation.
examples: text: I wish you a good day, and you'll find a way
 To make your spirits light & gay
ref: 1980, “ア・グッド・デイ [A Good Day]”, Yoko Narahashi (lyrics), Yukihide Takekawa (music), performed by Godiego:
english: A Good Day
translation: A Good Day
glosses: Cheerful.
Synonyms: sense: lightly-built
word: lightweight
sense: having little force or momentum
word: delicate
sense: having little force or momentum
word: gentle
sense: having little force or momentum
word: soft
sense: low in fat, calories, etc
word: lite
sense: low in fat, calories, etc
english: low in calories
translation: low in calories
word: lo-cal
sense: low in fat, calories, etc
english: low in alcohol
translation: low in alcohol
word: low-alcohol
sense: having little value or significance
word: inconsequential
sense: having little value or significance
word: trivial
sense: having little value or significance
word: unimportant
word: ablaze
word: bright
word: coruscating
word: dazzling
word: effulgent
word: flashy
word: gleaming
word: glowing
word: hot
word: illuminated
word: incandescent
word: irradiated
word: lit
word: lucent
word: luminous
word: lustrous
word: radiant
word: refulgent
word: scintillating
word: shiny
word: sparkling
word: splendent
word: vibrant
word: white
Derived terms: alighten
alt-light
feather-light
lady of light virtue
large light cruiser
light academia
light air
light as a feather
light blue
light bob
light breeze
light carrier
light cavalry
light corn syrup
light cream
light cruiser
light-duty
light engine
light entertainment
light-finger
light-fingered
light-fingeredness
lightfoot
Lightfoot
light-footed
lightful
lightfulness
light green cell hormon
light-handed
light-headed
light-headedly
lightheadedness
lighthearted
light-heeled
light horse
light-horseman
light hydrogen
light icebreaker
light industry
light infantry
light in the loafers
light in the sneakers
light-legged
light line
lightliness
lightly
light machine gun
light meat
light-minded
light-mindedly
light-mindedness
light-mouthed
lightness
light novel
light oil
light on one's feet
light opera
lightplane
light rail
light railway
light roller
lightskirt
lightskirts
lightsome
lightsomely
lightsomeness
light-spirited
light stepper
light vehicle
light verb
light water
light waterline
lightweight
light-winged
light-witted
make light work of
many hands make light work
Metropolis light transport
nonlight
overlight
over light
trip the light fantastic
ultralight
very light
very-light
verylight