light 
You allow gome grains to your gold before you call It 
light: allow Rome innnnitii-M to itn\ tn.iti before you call 
him ill. Dunne, Sermons, xiv. 
liiHxl ye are and bad, and like to ruins. 
Some true, some light. Tennyum. The Holy (Jrail. 
4. In cnokrrii, not licavy or soggy; spongy; 
well raiscil : said of bread, cakes and the like. 
To begin, then, with the very foundation of a good ta- 
ble, Bread: What ..us-lii II to lie? It should be light, 
sweet, and tender. 
//. B. Stnwe, House and Home I'apers, x. 
6. Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy; 
hence, free from burden or impediment ; unen- 
cumbered: as, light infantry; the ship returned 
Ugkt. 
He died for heaviness that his cart went light. 
Milton, On Old Hobsoi, II. 
I would teach them that my arm is heavy, though my 
purse lie light. 
Hawthorne, Twice-told Tales (My Kinsman). 
6. Not heavy in action or effect; lacking force 
or intensity; moderate; slight; buoyant; agile; 
sprightly : as, a ship of light draft ; light of foot ; 
a light hand; liyht sleep; a light wind; light 
comedy. 
This city must be famlsh'd, 
Or with light skirmishes enfeebled. 
Shak., 1 Hen. VI., L 4. 68. 
A foot more light, a step more true. 
Ne'er from the heath-flower dash'd tho dew. 
Scott, I .. of the i .. L 18. 
You are young, Miss, and I should say a liyht sleeper. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xvl. 
7. Not weighty; of little import or conse- 
quence; trivial; unimportant: as, a light re- 
mark; light reading; a light fault. 
Seemeth It to you a light thing to be a king's son-lc- 
law? 1 Sam. xviii. 23. 
Trifles light as air 
Are to the jealous confirmations strong 
As proofs of holy writ. Shak., Othello, III. 3. 822. 
To throw all Europe into confusion for a purpose clearly 
unjust was no light matter. 
Macaulay, Frederic the Great. 
8. Not burdensome, hard, or difficult ; easy to 
perform, to endure, to digest, etc.; slight; in- 
considerable: as, light work; light punishment; 
a light repast; a light wine. 
It is lifter to leue in thre lonely persones 
Than for to louye and leue as wel lorelles as lele. 
Pien Plowman (B), xvii. 43. 
Our light affliction . . . worketh for us a far more ex- 
ceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Cor. iv. 17. 
You shall presently have a liyht supper, and to bed. 
Cotton, in Walton's Angler, ii. 234. 
The li-ilii wines of Bordeaux began to be familiar to 
almost every table. J. McCarthy, Hiat. Own Times, xll. 
9. Not weighed down; free from care or an- 
noyance; cheerful; jubilant: as, a light heart. 
Priam, at the prayer of tho prise kynges, 
Deliuert the lady with a /.'/*/ wille, 
In eschaunge of tho choise, that chaped before. 
Destniction of Troy (E. T. S.), L 7908. 
What sadness can I have? No ; I am light, 
And feel the courses of my blood more warm 
And stirring than they were. 
Beau, and Fl., Maid's Tragedy, ill. 2. 
Although I did not give way entirely to such hopeful 
thoughts, I was still very liyht in spirits and walked upon 
air. R. L. Stevenson, Merry Men. 
10. Lacking moral or mental gravity; charac- 
terized by or exhibiting levity ; volatile; capri- 
cious; frivolous: as, nlightmmA; light conduct. 
Carols and rounds and such light or lasciuious Poemes. 
J'uttenhuiH, Arle of Eng. Poesie, p. 68. 
Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor 1'lautus too light. 
Shak., Hamlet, ii. 2. 420. 
These light vain persons still are drunk or mad 
With surfeitings and pleasures of their youth. 
Sir J. Dames, Immortal, of Soul, xxx. 
Her li : iht head quite turned 
In this court atmosphere of flatteries. 
Harper' f Mag., LXXVI. 56. 
Hence 11. Given to levity of conduct; loose 
in morals ; wanton ; unchaste. 
A lii.ilil wife doth make a heavy husband. 
Shak., M. of V., v. 1. ISO. 
It's fitting that time wha hae had a light and evil life, 
and abused etmrity when tliry urn- young, suld aihlins 
come to laek it when they are old. Scott, Antiquary, xxi. 
The ghawazee, clad in light garments, that cling to them, 
sprawl easily, and sport with one another till the guests 
are assembled. . . . These are the li'ilif women of Egypt ; 
and there are none lighter on the face of the globe. 
C. IT. SliKlilanl, Mashallah, xviii. 
12. Having a sensation of lightness; giddy; 
ilizzy; hence, flighty in mind ; delirious. 
It seems his sleeps were hinder'd by thy railing, 
And thereof comes it that his hc:nl i> Hptt. 
Shak., c. of E., v. 1. T-'. 
13. Adapted for or employed in light work. 
A deaf serving woman and the light jx>rter romplrtiMl 
Mrs. .sparsit's empire. Dickenx, Hard Times, it 1. 
817 
3447 
14f. Quickly passing; fleeting; transitory. 
Fortune unfelthful favorede me with lyht' goodea. 
Chaucrr, BoethiiiH, L meter 1. 
15. Without substance; not nutritious or sat- 
isfying. [Rare.] 
Our soul loatheth this Imlii bread. Num. xxi 5. 
16. Weak; sickly, llalliirrll. [I'rov. Km*.] 
A light hand, see hand. Light artillery, battery, 
cavalry. se the nouns. light carbureted hydro- 
gen. See carbureted. Light comedian, an actor uf liKht 
comic parts. Light In hand. See hand. Light litera- 
ture. See literature. Light marching order (inilit.), 
the condition of troops eijnipiM-<l with anus, ammunition, 
canteen, and haversack, but without overcoat, blanket, or 
knapsack. Light metal See metal. Light sails, top- 
gallantsails, royals, flying-jib sails, and studdingsalls. 
Light soa Heetoil. To let light Oft. See Ml. To 
make light Of, to treat as of little consequence ; disre- 
gard. To set light by (formerly of), to undervalue-, 
slight ; treat as of no importance. 
All their exhortations were to i liyht of the things In 
this world, to count riches and honours vanity. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, Pret, vlii. 
The Art yon speak of is not to be tet liyht by; It Is as 
Praise-worthy sometimes to run away nimbly as It le to 
fight stoutly. A*. Bailey, tr. of Colloquies of Erasmus, 1. 85. 
II. ii. pi. The lungs, especially of a brute 
animal (most frequently in the phrase liver anil 
lii/htx): so called from their lightness, 
light- (lit), <i'lr. [< ME. liglite, lihte, < AS. ledhte 
(= OS. liohto = D. ligt = MLG. lichte = OHG. 
lihto, MHG. lihte, G. leicht = Dan. let = 8w. latt), 
lightly, < ledht, light: see light*, a.] 1. Not 
heavily ; not with full weight or force. 
Liyht lay the yean upon the untroubled head. 
William Morrit, Earthly Paradise, 1. 157. 
2. Lightly; cheaply. Hooker. 3. Easily ; read- 
ily; nimbly. 
Yow oghte ben the 1'ighter mcrciable. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 410. 
Every elf and fairy sprite 
Hop as liyht as bird from brier. 
Shak., M. N. D., v. 1. 401. 
4. With light or easy effort ; without requiring 
or exerting much power: as, a Ki/X-running 
wagon or machine. 
light 2 (lit), r. t. [< ME. lighten, lychten, listen, 
lihten, lyhten, make light (less heavy), < AS. 
iilitini (also in comp. alihtan, gelihtan, > E. 
alight*), make light, alleviate, ledhtian, be- 
come light (= OFries. lichta, ligta = D. ligten 
= MLG. LG. lichten = OHG. lihtan, lihijan, 
MHG. lihten, G. lichten (after LG.) = Icel. letla 
= Sw. lutta = Dan. lette, make light, lift, dis- 
burden), < Ie6ht, liht, light: see light*, a. Cf. 
alight*. Cf. also light*.] 1. To make light or 
less heavy ; lighten ; ease of a burden. [Obso- 
lete or colloq.J 
The lettres of syr Lucius lyghttyt myne herte. 
Mortc Arthure (E. E. T. 8.), L 251. 
If we do thus do, ... we shal with this cnmfort flnde 
our hartes lighted, and therby the griefe of our tribula- 
tion lessed. 
StrT. More, Cumfort against Tribulation (1573X foL 53. 
Now that the shearing of your sheep is done, 
And the washed flocks are lighted of their wool. 
B. Jonton, Sad Shepherd, I. 2. 
2. To deliver, as of a child. [Prov. Eug.] 
Faste besyde that Chirche, a 60 Fedme. is a Chirche of 
Seynt Nicholas, where our Ladv rested hire, after sche 
was lyghted of oure Lord. Mandeville, Travels, p. 71. 
And I shalle say thou wast lyght 
Of a knave-childe this nyght 
Townelfy M yitoriet, p. 107. (HaUiweU.) 
To light along (navt.), to move (a cable or sail) along by 
lifting or carrying it. Totten. To light UP (taut.), to 
loosen, slacken, or ease off : as, light up the jib-sheets. 
light 3 (lit), v. i. ; pret. and pp. lighted (often lit), 
ppr. lighting. [< ME. lighten, lichten, lyghtcn, 
H.'ti'ii. lijfti-n, lihten, (. AS. lihtan, lyhtan (also in 
comp. alihtan, gelihtan, "> E. alight'^), dismount 
(from a horse), = Icel. letta, dismount , stop, 
halt, lit. make light, relieve of a burden, a par- 
ticular use of lihtan, make light: see light*, r. 
Cf. alight*.] 1. To get down or descend, as 
from horseback or from a carriage ; dismount ; 
alight. [In this sense now usually alight; but 
Hi/lit is still used in some parts of the United 
States.] 
Donn of his hors Anrellns li'ihtc anon. 
Chaucer, Franklin's Tale, 1. 455. 
Yonder . . . Urania liyhted ; the very hone methooght 
bewailed to be so disburdened. Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, i. 
And, when I mount, alive may I not light, 
If I be traitor, or unjustly tight ! 
Shak., Rich. II., L 1. 82. 
My lord, the count's sister, being overtaken in the streets 
with a great hail-storm, is light at your gate, and desires 
room till the storm be overpast. 
Beau, and Fl., Woman- Hater, ii. 1. 
2. To settle down, as u l>ird from flight; come 
to rest; hence, to fall, drop, or spring (upon 
lighten 
something): as, Ix'es light among flowers; heW 
on his feet; trouble shall Hi/lit upon him. 
The nrsten shot (It) was to iirlr. 
li K'/Ated all to schorl. 
llnttlr of Balrinna (Child's Ballads, VII. 228). 
The wrongs you do these men may light on yon, 
Too heavy too. fletcher, Pilgrim, L J. 
The curse of Cain 
Liyht on his head who pierced thy innocent breast. 
Shelley, Adonals, xvll. 
On the tree -tops a crested peacock lit. 
Tennyfon, (Knotie. 
3. To come by chance, fall, or happen (upon 
something) : followed by on or upon, formerly 
sometimes by of. 
If, before their goods are all sold, they (the Chinese | can 
light or Chapmen to buy their ships, they will gladly sell 
them also. Dampirr, Voyages, II. L 138. 
He liyhted on the Wills of several persons bearing the 
same names as the poet Dyce, Pret to Ford's Plays, p. vii. 
What is that which I should turn to, lighting upon days 
like these? Tennymm, Locksley Hall. 
4f. To drop or fall, as if unexpectedly; be 
brought or drawn : followed by into. 
\Mien the Hierarchy of England shall light into the 
hands of busie and audacious men, . . . much mlschlefe 
is like to ensue. Milton, Reformation in Eng., if. 
They shall light into atheistical company. South. 
TO light out, to go away ; especially, to depart in haste 
or without notice; make off; abscond; "skip." [Slang, 
U.S.] 
Ef I had anuff money to go to New Orleans like a gen- 
tleman, I'd just light out some night. 
The Century, XXXVI. 80. 
lightable (li'ta-bl), a. [< lighfl, v., + -able.] 
Capable of being lighted, 
light-apostrophe (Ut'a-pos'tro-fe), n. In hot., 
see apostrophe^, 2. 
light-armed (IH'armd), a. Armed and accou- 
tred in a manner convenient for active and de- 
sultory service : said of troops. 
Light-armed troops 
In coats of mail and military pride. 
MOtm, f. It., lii. 311. 
light-ball (lit'bal), n. Milit., a pyrotechnic 
preparation, composed of saltpeter, sulphur, 
resin, and linseed-oil, used by soldiers to afford 
light for their own operations. Light-balls are 
made on frames of Iron and canvas, of different sizes, for 
burning a certain number of minutes. They differ from 
fire-ball* In containing no provision for causing destructive 
explosion. 
light-barrel (lit'bar'el), . Milit.. an empty 
{x>wder-barrel, with holes in it, filled with shav- 
ings soaked in tar, used to light up a trench or 
breach. 
light-boat (lit'bot), n. Same as light-ship. 
light-box (lit'boks), n. Naut., same as light- 
room, 1. 
lightbrain (lit 'bran), n. A light-headed or 
weak-minded person. 
Being as some were, Ji#A/-&r<u'n*,rumi agates, unthrif tea, 
and riotoun. 
Martin, Marriage of Prlestes, L. 1. Hi. (1564). (Latham.) 
light-course (Ut'kors), n. A copper band, from 
15 to 18 inches deep, on the top of the pan used 
in clarifying sugar. Its function is to Keep the 
scum from boiling over. 
light-dues (Ht'duz), n. pi. Duties or tolls lev- 
ied on ships navigating certain waters, for the 
maintenance of lighthouses; light-money. 
lighten 1 (U'tn), c. [< ME. Hghtnen. lightened, 
lighten, become light; with suffix -n, E. -en 1 (I), 
formative of passive verbs, < light 1 , a., light: 
see light 1 , ii. Cf. alightcn 1 , enlighten. Hence 
lightrninqL, lightning 1 .'] I. intrans. 1. To be- 
come light or lighter; grow light or clear up; 
brighten: as, the sky lighten*. 
No motion, save alone 
What lighteni In the lucid east 
Of rising worlds by yonder wood. 
Tennyfon, In Memoriam, cv. 
After sixty years, the ardent words of a lovely girl are 
not quite so quick and spirit-stirring as when, fresh from 
the fancy or the heart, they lived and lightened on the 
page. E. Doicden, Shelley, n. 373. 
2. To emit flashes of lightning; shoot out as 
lightning; flash. See lightning!. 
The lightning that lighteneth oat of the one part under 
heaven snineth unto the other part. Luke xvii. 24. 
This dreadful night, 
That thunders, lighteni, opens graves, and roars. 
Shak., J. C., L 3. 74. 
II. trans. 1. To make light or bright ; give 
light to ; light up. 
God, who liflhtned Eden with his Rays. 
Sylmtter, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, IL, Eden. 
The Lord will lighten my darkness. S Sam. xxit t. 
A key of Ore ran all along the shore. 
And lightened all the river with a blase. 
Dryden Anmis MirabfUs, St. 231. 
