lightness

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈlaɪtnəs/ UK /ˈlaɪtnəs/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like rightness /l/ vs /ɹ/

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of having little weight, or of being bright or carefree

There was a sudden lightness in her step.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of having... buoyancyweightlessnessbrightness airiness levity gaiety cheerfulness

Opposites

heaviness weight darkness gravity gloom

Word family

Related forms light lighten lightly

Etymology

From Middle English lightnesse, from Old English lēohtnes, from lēoht ('light, not heavy; bright') + -nes ('-ness'). The senses of low weight, brightness, and carefree gaiety all descend from the polysemy of 'light'.

lēoht Old English -nes Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# lightness

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

## Meanings
1. the quality of having little weight, or of being bright or carefree

## Examples
- There was a sudden lightness in her step.

## Synonyms
- buoyancy
- weightlessness
- brightness
- airiness
- levity
- gaiety
- cheerfulness

## Antonyms
- heaviness
- weight
- darkness
- gravity
- gloom

## Related Forms
- light
- lighten
- lightly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: lēoht
- Root: -nes

## Etymology
From Middle English lightnesse, from Old English lēohtnes, from lēoht ('light, not heavy; bright') + -nes ('-ness'). The senses of low weight, brightness, and carefree gaiety all descend from the polysemy of 'light'.

## AI Etymology
Lightness comes from Middle English lightnesse, from Old English lēohtnes, from lēoht ('light, not heavy; bright') + -nes ('-ness'). The senses of low weight, brightness, and carefree gaiety all descend from the polysemy of 'light'. The etymological trail includes Old English lēoht and Old English -nes. As a noun, lightness means the quality of having little weight, or of being bright or carefree. The same family is visible in related forms such as light, lighten, and lightly. Morphologically, the word is built from the elements named in its history, so the modern form preserves a visible compound, prefix, or suffix structure.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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lightness

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