alight

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /əˈlaɪt/ UK /əˈlaɪt/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like aright /l/ vs /ɹ/

Meanings

1

verb
to descend and settle, as a bird; also on fire or lit up

A sparrow came to alight on the windowsill.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to descend and settle, as a... land perch settle dismount descend

Opposites

ascendtake offmount

Word family

Related forms light

Etymology

From Middle English alighten, from Old English ālīhtan ('to dismount, descend'), from ā- (intensive prefix) + līhtan ('to relieve of weight, dismount'), from līht ('light, not heavy').

ālīhtan Old English *līhtijaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

External links

# alight

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈlaɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈlaɪt/

## Meanings
1. to descend and settle, as a bird; also on fire or lit up

## Examples
- A sparrow came to alight on the windowsill.

## Synonyms
- land
- perch
- settle
- dismount
- descend

## Antonyms
- ascend
- take off
- mount

## Related Forms
- light

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ālīhtan
- Root: *līhtijaną

## Etymology
From Middle English alighten, from Old English ālīhtan ('to dismount, descend'), from ā- (intensive prefix) + līhtan ('to relieve of weight, dismount'), from līht ('light, not heavy').

## AI Etymology
Alight is from Middle English alighten, from Old English ālīhtan ('to dismount, descend'), from ā- (intensive prefix) + līhtan ('to relieve of weight, dismount'), from līht ('light, not heavy'). Important recorded forms include ālīhtan (Old English) and *līhtijaną (Proto-Germanic). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to descend and settle, as a bird; also on fire or lit up. The wider family includes related words such as light.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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