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light 2 (līt)
Share:
adj. light·er, light·est
1.
a. Of relatively little weight; not heavy: a light load.
b. Of relatively little weight for its size or bulk: Balsa is a light wood.
c. Of less than the correct, standard, or legal weight: a light pound.
2.
a. Designed for ease and quickness of movement; having a structure that is slim and has little weight for its type or class: light aircraft.
b. Designed to carry relatively little weight: light trucks.
c. Carrying little equipment or armament: light cavalry.
d. Requiring relatively little equipment and using relatively simple processes to produce consumer goods: light industry.
3. Exerting little force or impact; gentle: a light pat.
4. Indistinct; faint: light print that I could barely make out.
5.
a. Low in quantity or intensity: light traffic; light snow.
b. Consuming or using relatively moderate amounts; abstemious: a light eater; a light smoker.
c. Not harsh or severe: gave the offender a light sentence.
6. Moving easily and quickly; nimble: You're very light on your feet.
7.
a. Easy to perform or accomplish; requiring little effort: light chores.
b. Easy to bear or endure: a light tax.
8.
a. Having little importance; insignificant: light conversation.
b. Intended primarily as entertainment and lacking serious or weighty content: a light comedy.
c. Not solemn or serious: spoke in a light manner of the situation.
d. Free from worries or troubles; blithe: a light heart.
9. Mildly dizzy or faint: felt light in the head.
10. Easily awakened or disturbed: a light sleeper.
11.
a. Easily digested: a light supper.
b. Containing a relatively small amount of a potentially harmful ingredient, such as alcohol, fat, or sodium: light beer; light mayonnaise.
12.
a. Having a spongy or flaky texture; well-leavened: light pastries.
b. Having a loose, porous consistency: light soil.
13. Linguistics
a. Of, relating to, or being a syllable ending in a short vowel or a short vowel plus a consonant.
b. Of, relating to, or being a vowel or syllable pronounced with little or no stress.
adv. lighter, lightest
1. In a light manner; lightly.
2. With little weight and few burdens: traveling light.
intr.v. light·ed or lit (lĭt), light·ing, lights
1. To get down, as from a vehicle or horse; dismount.
2. To descend to the ground after flight; land.
3. To come upon one unexpectedly: Misfortune lighted upon him.
4. To come upon by chance or accident. Used with on or upon: lit on the perfect solution to the problem.
Phrasal Verbs:
light into Informal
To attack verbally or physically; assail.
light out Informal
To leave hastily; run off.
Idiom:
go light on
1. To use, acquire, or consume in small or moderate amounts: go light on the garlic.
2. To treat leniently.
[Middle English, from Old English lēoht, līht; see legwh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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