alight


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a·light 1

 (ə-līt′)
intr.v. a·light·ed or a·lit (ə-lĭt′), a·light·ing, a·lights
1. To come down and settle, as after flight: "A swarm of black birds flew across the road and alighted in a pecan tree" (Ernest J. Gaines).
2. To get down, as from a vehicle; dismount: The queen alighted from the carriage.
3. To come by chance: alight on a happy solution.

[Middle English alighten, from Old English ālīhtan : ā-, intensive pref. + līhtan, to relieve of a burden (from līht, light; see light2).]

a·light 2

 (ə-līt′)
adj.
1. Burning; lighted: The discarded match was still alight.
2. Illuminated: The sky was alight with millions of stars.

[Middle English, past participle of alighten, to set on fire, from Old English ālīhtan, to illuminate : ā-, intensive pref. + līhtan, to shine (from lēoht, a light; see light1).]

a·light′ adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alight

(əˈlaɪt)
vb (intr) , alights, alighting, alighted or alit
1. (usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from): to alight from a taxi.
2. to come to rest; settle; land: a thrush alighted on the wall.
[Old English ālīhtan, from a-2 + līhtan to make less heavy, from līht light2]

alight

(əˈlaɪt)
adj, adv (postpositive)
1. burning; on fire
2. illuminated; lit up
[Old English ālīht lit up, from ālīhtan to light up; see light1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•light1

(əˈlaɪt)

v.i. a•light•ed a•lit, a•light•ing.
1. to dismount from a horse, descend from a vehicle, etc.
2. to settle or stay after descending; come to rest.
[before 1000; Middle English; Old English ālīhtan=ā- a-3 + līhtan to relieve (orig. an animal mount) of weight, light2]

a•light2

(əˈlaɪt)

adv., adj.
1. provided with light; lighted up.
2. on fire; burning.
[before 1000; now taken as a-1 + light1; orig. past participle of alight to light up (Middle English alihten, Old English onlīhtan=on- a-1 + līhtan to light1)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

alight

If something is alight, it is burning.

The fire was safely alight.
A candle was alight on the chest of drawers.

To set something alight means to cause it to start burning.

...paraffin that had been poured on the ground and set alight.

Be Careful!
You do not use alight in front of a noun. You do not say, for example, 'People rushed out of the alight building'. You say 'People rushed out of the burning building'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

alight


Past participle: alit/alighted
Gerund: alighting

Imperative
alight
alight
Present
I alight
you alight
he/she/it alights
we alight
you alight
they alight
Preterite
I alit/alighted
you alit/alighted
he/she/it alit/alighted
we alit/alighted
you alit/alighted
they alit/alighted
Present Continuous
I am alighting
you are alighting
he/she/it is alighting
we are alighting
you are alighting
they are alighting
Present Perfect
I have alit/alighted
you have alit/alighted
he/she/it has alit/alighted
we have alit/alighted
you have alit/alighted
they have alit/alighted
Past Continuous
I was alighting
you were alighting
he/she/it was alighting
we were alighting
you were alighting
they were alighting
Past Perfect
I had alit/alighted
you had alit/alighted
he/she/it had alit/alighted
we had alit/alighted
you had alit/alighted
they had alit/alighted
Future
I will alight
you will alight
he/she/it will alight
we will alight
you will alight
they will alight
Future Perfect
I will have alit/alighted
you will have alit/alighted
he/she/it will have alit/alighted
we will have alit/alighted
you will have alit/alighted
they will have alit/alighted
Future Continuous
I will be alighting
you will be alighting
he/she/it will be alighting
we will be alighting
you will be alighting
they will be alighting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been alighting
you have been alighting
he/she/it has been alighting
we have been alighting
you have been alighting
they have been alighting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been alighting
you will have been alighting
he/she/it will have been alighting
we will have been alighting
you will have been alighting
they will have been alighting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been alighting
you had been alighting
he/she/it had been alighting
we had been alighting
you had been alighting
they had been alighting
Conditional
I would alight
you would alight
he/she/it would alight
we would alight
you would alight
they would alight
Past Conditional
I would have alit/alighted
you would have alit/alighted
he/she/it would have alit/alighted
we would have alit/alighted
you would have alit/alighted
they would have alit/alighted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.alight - to come to rest, settlealight - to come to rest, settle; "Misfortune lighted upon him"
land, set down - reach or come to rest; "The bird landed on the highest branch"; "The plane landed in Istanbul"
2.alight - come downalight - come down; "the birds alighted"  
come down, descend, go down, fall - move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way; "The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then fell again"
Adj.1.alight - lighted up by or as by fire or flame; "forests set ablaze (or afire) by lightning"; "even the car's tires were aflame"; "a night aflare with fireworks"; "candles alight on the tables"; "houses on fire"
lighted, lit - set afire or burning; "the lighted candles"; "a lighted cigarette"; "a lit firecracker"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

alight

1
verb
1. get off, descend, get down, disembark, dismount Two men alighted from the vehicle.
2. land, light, settle, come down, descend, perch, touch down, come to rest A thrush alighted on a branch of the pine tree.
land rise, scale, mount, climb, go up, take off, soar, move up, ascend, lift off, fly up, float up

alight

2
adjective lit up, bright, brilliant, shining, illuminated, fiery Her face was alight with happiness.
set alight set on fire, ignite, set ablaze, light, set burning, set aflame, set blazing, set flaming, set flaring The rioters set several buildings alight.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

alight 1

verb
To come to rest on the ground:
phrasal verb
alight on or upon
Archaic. To find or meet by chance:
bump into, chance on (or upon), come across, come on (or upon), find, happen on (or upon), light on (or upon), run across, run into, stumble on (or upon), tumble on.
Idiom: meet up with.

alight 2

adjective
On fire:
Idioms: in a blaze, in flames.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُشْتَعِل، مَضْطَرِميَتَرَجَّل، يَنَزِل مِنيَحُطُّ
hořícípřistátsestoupitsnést sevystoupit
i brandlandestrålende
logandi, ljómandisetjaststíga út, fara niîur
degošsgaišsizkāptlīksmsnokāpt
zniesť sa
inmekkonmaktutuşmuşyanmakta

alight

1 [əˈlaɪt] ADJ
1. (lit) to be alight [fire] → estar ardiendo; [lamp] → estar encendido or (LAm) prendido
to keep a fire alightmantener un fuego ardiendo
to set alightpegar fuego a, incendiar
2. (fig) alight with [+ happiness, enthusiasm] → resplandeciente de

alight

2 [əˈlaɪt] VI
1. (from vehicle) → bajar, apearse (from de)
2. (on branch, etc) [bird, insect] → posarse (on sobre)
alight on VI + PREP [+ fact, idea] → caer en la cuenta de, darse cuenta de
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

alight

[əˈlaɪt]
adj
(= lit) [match, fire] → allumé(e) (= on fire) [building, grass] → en feu
to set sth alight → mettre le feu à qch
to set o.s. alight → s'immoler par le feu
(fig) [eyes] → brillant(e); [face] → rayonnant(e)
to be alight with sth [+ excitement, pleasure, happiness, pride] [eyes] → briller de qch; [face] → rayonner de qch
to set sth alight (fig)enflammer qch
vi
[passenger] → descendre; [bird] → se poser
to alight from sth → descendre de qch
to alight on [eyes] → se poser sur
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

alight

1 (form)
vi
(person)aussteigen (from aus); (from horse) → absitzen (from von)
(bird)sich niederlassen (→ on auf +dat); his eyes alighted on the ringsein Blick fiel auf den Ring
to alight on a fact/an idea etcauf ein Faktum/eine Idee etc stoßen

alight

2
adj pred to be alight (fire)brennen; (building also)in Flammen stehen; to keep the fire alightdas Feuer in Gang halten; to set something alightetw in Brand setzen or stecken; her face was alight with pleasureihr Gesicht or sie glühte vor Freude
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

alight

1 [əˈlaɪt] adj to be alight (building) → essere in fiamme; (fire) → essere acceso/a

alight

2 [əˈlaɪt] vi (from vehicle) to alight (from)scendere (da); (bird) to alight (on)posarsi (su)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

alight1

(əˈlait) past tense, past participle aˈlighted verb
1. to get down from or out of. to alight from a bus.
2. (with on) to settle or land on. The bird alighted on the fence.

alight2

(əˈlait) adjective
burning; very bright. The bonfire was still alight; His eyes were alight with joy.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
"Allow the prisoner to alight, and let him see the black tulip; it is well worth being seen once."
(Kuzovlev had let go the reins as he took the leap, and the mare had sent him flying over her head.) Those details Vronsky learned later; at the moment all he saw was that just under him, where Frou-Frou must alight, Diana's legs or head might be in the way.
I knew nothing until I knew that we were on the floor by the great table, and that patches of tinder yet alight were floating in the smoky air, which, a moment ago, had been her faded bridal dress.
"It is there that we shall alight, if God permits."
Eventually they entered the town, which was all alight, but deserted; only the women and children remained, and they were off the streets.
Alight, Planchet, and inquire, for I confess that I have scarcely courage so to do."
Accordingly, leaving the bed of the stream at the very point where it thundered down, we began crawling along one of those sloping ledges until it carried us to within a few feet of another that inclined downwards at a still sharper angle, and upon which, by assisting each other we managed to alight in safety.
"Oh, Timothy, I--I think it was mean ter send me," chattered the suddenly frightened Nancy, as she turned and hurried to a point where she could best watch the passengers alight at the little station.
I alight wet and weary; no enthusiastic crowds press forward to greet their champion; the church bells are silent; the very name elicits no responsive feeling in their torpid bosoms.
JEMIMA alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting-place.
1-4) Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying river Peneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitched lyre, always sings both first and last.
Three of them promptly alighted, and the one who had been driving hitched the team to the only remaining post of what had been a fence.