lighten 
2. To illuminate mentally or spiritually ; en- 
lighten. 
Saving grace is the gift of the Holy Ghost, which light- 
eneth inwardly the minds, and inflameth inwardly the 
heartu of men. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, v., App. 1. 
3448 
lighthouseman 
intrans. To be employed in the business light-headedness ( lit' lied 'ed-nes). n. The 
of Transporting goods by means of a lighter. state or quality of bemg light-headed ; dizzi- 
The vicissitudes of business in their respective voca- ness; flightmess; wandermg; delmum. 
tions lightering, mule-driving, peddling, or bar-keeping, g o ] OV ely a voice uttering nothing but the incoherent 
ravings of lightheadedness. Miss Burney, Cecilia, x. 9. 
as the case may l>e. 
3. To send forth like lightning. [Rare.] 
Behold his eye, 
As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth 
Controlling majesty. Shak., Rich. II., iii. 3. I 
duce in weight; relieve of weight: as, to lighten 
coin by clipping or abrasion ; to lighten a load 
or a ship. 
J. W. Palmer, The New and the Old, p. 207. u y..^^^ (li t 'har"ted), a. Having a light 
l. 208. lighter 3 (li'ter), . Same as lafter. heart; free from grief or anxiety; cheerful. 
l--~-UJ /-17'4-A-n OT\ -M FV 7,'/W>//i**2 -A- -nno 1 ' 
lighterage (li'ter-aj), n. [_< lighter 2 + -age .] H e whistles as he goes, %W-7rted wretch, 
1. The act of unloading cargo into a lighter. cold and yet cheerful. Camper, Task, iv. 12. 
2. Thepricepaidforunloadingashipbymeans oiadsome, joyous. 
19. of a lighter, or for conveying goods or mer- light-heartedly (lit'har"ted-li), adv. In a 
lighten 2 (H'tn), v. [< ME. lightenen; < light'* + ohandise in lighters. light-hearted manner; with a light heart. 
-en 1 (3). Ct. alighted.] I. intrans. To become The lighterage, carriage and porters' due. _ _ _ liffht-heartedneSS (lit'har'ted-nes), n. The 
light or less heavy. 
Thaire suete songe made my herte to lighten. 
Book of the Knight of La Tour Landry, p. 1. ^ ,. L .. a ._. 
II trans 1 To make light or less heavy ; re- A man who manages a lighter; one employed 
on a lighter. 
A poor lighterman, sir, one that hath had the honour 
sometimes to lay in the king's beer there. 
B. Jonson, Masque of Augurs. 
litrhter-acrew (li'ter-skro), n. A screw for 
I B1UU11 VOBBC1 VIIIIM / moo iAgliUCA ovl ^ YT \" -~ " /7 ... . j. ,-, 
left stationed on the'lialize bar, to receive part of the the adjustment of the relative distances of the 
cargoes. Oayarre, Hist. Louisiana, I. 601. grinding surfaces of a pair of millstones. 
2 To make less burdensome or oppressive; lighter-Staff (li'ter-staf), n. In a grain-mill, a 
alleviate : as, to lighten the cares of life. lever which supports and controls the adjust- 
Then first of all his minde was at ease, and free to re- able end of the bray-plank or bridgetree, to light-horse (Ut'h6rs), n. Light-armed cavalry, 
joice, lightened of all maner burden and care. which it is connected at one end Dy a stirrup, One nundred Men at Arms, and Six hundred Light- 
Sir H. Savile, tr. of Tacitus, p. 24. w hile its other end receives the lighter-screw or Horse, i e d by the Earl of Warwick. 
When I contemplate that infinite Advantage he hath a counterbalance weight. E. H. Knight. Baker, Chronicles, p. 303. 
got by this Change and Transmigration, it much lightens lio-nt-nneered (lit'fing"gerd), a. 1. Light in Ludovic conies forth with his army, and with his light 
the Weight of my Grief. Howell, Letters, I. vi. 7. t o uc h w fth the fing^ as in playing the piano. Aorse beginnes the charge. Coryat, Crudities, 1. 110. 
2. Dexterous in touching and taking ; thiev- light-horseman (Iit'h6rs"man), n, 
ish ; addicted to petty thefts : applied particu- armed cavalry soldier. 
3. To cheer; gladden. 
A trusty villain, sir, that very oft . 
= ___ . . , frolic- 
some braggadocio, spoken in liffhtheartedness, and not in- 
tended to convey any serious intention. 
Encyc. Brit., XX. 662. 
light-heeled (lit'held), o. 1. Nimble or lively 
in walking or running; swift of foot. 
The villain is much lighter-heel'd than I. 
Shak., M. N. D., iii. 2. 416. 
2f. Of loose character. 
She is sure a light heeld wench. 
The Bride, 1640, sig. G. (HaUiweU.) 
A light- 
Lightens my humour with his merry jests. larlv to pickpockets. 
Shak., C. of E., i. 2. 21. 
lighthouse (llt'hous), n. A tower or other 
i_fi_iii i; I,A A _ i:...!.*.., i',,.. 4.1... 
4. To make lighter in color or shade : as, to 
Our men contented themselves with looking after their structure exhibiting a light or lights, for the 
ods (the -' 
the manag 
It takes so very little to lighten hearts of seven teen and good ^ /( TonquTnese being very lighi-fingefd), and left purpose of indicating the presence of rocks, 
eighteen! Mrs. Ohphant, Poor Gentleman, xi. tne manage mentof the Boats entirely to the Boats crew. 2]? nr othBT Hangers to navigation, or for 
Ttnmnifr Vovases II i 14 
Damer, Voyages, II. i. 14. 
the break of day. See lightning 1 , 1. 2f. See 
lightning 1 , 2. 3. A brightening up, as of the 
mind or spirit. [Rare.] 
You gave me good warning to take heed and beware, 
lest after a lightening 1 catch a foil. 
J. Careless, in Bradford's Works (Parker Soc. , 1853), II. 356. 
4. In metal., the sudden brightening of the 
color of silver during cupellation when the 
metal reaches the point of greatest purity. 
lightening 2 (lit'ning), . [Verbal n. of light- 
en' 2 , v.] The act or fact of becoming or making 
light or less heavy. 
light-equation (lit'e-kwa"shon), n. The cor- 
rection for the effect on astronomical phe- 
nomena, especially eclipses of Jupiter's satel- 
lites, of the time required by light to traverse 
the space between the planet and the earth. 
This is combined with aberration (which see). 
lighter 1 (li'ter), n. [= D. lichter = G. leuch- 
ter; as light 1 , v., + -er 1 .] 1. One who or that 
which lights or illuminates ; specifically, a torch 
or an electric device for lighting candles or gas- 
jets. A simple form of lighter is a strip of pa- 
per rolled into a tapering tube. 
Twisting up a piece of waste paper into a lighter. 
WUffif '*-"-'' TJUn n^A CJn 
Idyl. 
Nimble ; light-footed. 
>m her light-foot beast. 
Spenser, F. Q., m. iv. 7. 
Light-foot Iris brought it yester-eve. 
Tennyson, (Enone. 
lightfoott (lit'fut), n. Venison. [Old cant.] 
" Wife," quoth the miller, " fetch me forth lightfooU, 
And of his sweetnesse a little we'll taste." 
A fair ven'son pastye brought she out presentlye. 
The King and the Miller of Mansfield (Child's Ballads, 
[VIII. 36). 
light-footed (Ht'fut"ed), o. Light of foot; step- 
ping or skipping lightly or nimbly, as in run- 
ning or dancing. 
Wood-nymphs mixed with her light-footed Fauns. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, xi. 136. 
A fairy Prince with joyful eyes, 
And lighter-footed than the fox. 
Tennyson, The Day-dream (The Arrival). 
i, a. [_< light 1 , .,+ -/.] Full 
bright. [Rare.] 
, or other dangers to navigation, or for 
the guidance of mariners when approaching or 
sailing along a coast, entering a harbor, or 
navigating a river or other body of water. 
Lighthouses were formerly illuminated simply by means 
of a wood- or coal-fire, and afterward by candles and lamps. 
Coal-fires continued in general use till after the middle 
of the eighteenth century, and in some places many years 
later. The lamps in the lanterns of lighthouses in the 
United States are, for the most part, mechanical oil-lamps 
To . 
Marston, Sophonisba, i. 2. 
/ ;.;/,j,/2 n 4- 
sleepe. 
(lit'ful), a. 
-ful.'] Light; cheerful. [Kare.J 
Tho' my heart was lightful and Joyous before, yet it is 
ten times more lightsome and joyous now. 
_ Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, ii. 60. 
e dotlins, Hide and Seek, ix. ligntfulness mt'ful-nes), . The quality of be- 
An electric lighter attached to the gas fixture suddenly : ' i;i,tf..i in eifhor aonan rRnrn 1 
flashed brightness over a most curious place. ln > IgHHBl, l n lBe - L"* 
Weekly American (Waterbury, Conn.), Aug. 27, 1886. The eternal Intelligence . . . needs no recording of opin- 
~, i T>V i i, ions to confirm his knowledge, no more than the sun 
2t. pi. Blinkers tor a horse. wants wax to be tne fuel o{ his g i or ious lightfulness. 
Yell take the bridle frae his head, Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, iii. 
Blanehefl^anf^yfiirt^m^ Ballads, IV. 298). light-handed (llt'han'ded), a 1. Having light 
hands; sott, delicate, or dexterous in toucn or 
lighter 2 (U'ter), TO. [= D. hgter; as hghtf + manipulation. 2. Having or bringing little in 
-cri.J A boat or vessel, commonly an open the handg . a8) to eome home light-handed. 
Lighthouse on Alligator Reef, Florida Reefs. 
fitted with Argand burners, and employed with simple re- 
flectors or with some form of the BYesnel lantern. Elec- 
tric lighting has been tried in some lighthouses, but found 
objectionable on account of the depth of shadow produced 
by it in their immediate vicinity. In order that light- 
houses may be distinguished by night, their lights vary 
in power, color, number, position, etc. As regards power, 
they are classified as of the first, second, third, or fourth 
order: the first two being employed in coast-lighthouses, 
and the others as sound-, harbor-, or river-lights. They 
may be fixed, revolving, flashing, or intermittent, in either 
single or combined colors : thus, a light may show two 
white flashes and a red flash followed by an interval of 
darkness, or the red and white flashes may alternate. 
These changes are obtained by various contrivances for 
causing the lenses, reflectors, or screens to travel in a cir- 
ss before it. Some 
color, or bear some 
their identity may be 
ing for short distances passengers or goods, or 
materials of any kind, usually in a harbor. 
Some pretty presentation, which we have addressed and 
conveyed hither in a lighter at the general charge, and 
landed at the back door. B. Jonson, Masque of Augurs. 
The boatmen jump into the water and push the lighters 
agaiust the stone stairs, while we unload our own baggage. 
B. Taylor, Lands of the Saracen, p. 19. 
lighter 2 (li'ter), v. [< lighter*, n.'] I. trans. 
To convey or transport in or as in a lighter, as 
goods or cargo. 
And our effects of some three_ or four tons were light- 
ered ashore by means of the Indian canoes. 
The Century, XXX. 739. 
noad 
lirious 
; hence, nighty; de- 
They saw . . . 
The lamp-fire glimmer down from the tall lighthouse tower. 
Whittier, Tent on the Beach. 
Be lvidera talks of " lutes, laurels, seas of milk, 
and ships of amber," she is not mad, but light-headed. 
WoJpole. 
Some doubted and were sore afeard 
That she had grown light-headed with her woe. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 152. 
2. Thoughtless; volatile; frivolous. __________ ,- - 
If the man be graue, his speech and stile is graue: if lighthouseman (lit ' hous-man), w. ; pi. 
light-headed, his stile and language also light. housemen (-men). A keeper of a lighthouse. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 124. The manners and ways of coastguardsmen, lighthwse- 
These often overturn a thick-witted or a light-headed men, and other amphibious creatures. 
man. The Century, XXVI. 369. Athenaeum, No. 3200, p. 267. 
Lighthouse Board, a board of commissioners attached 
to the Treasury Department of the United States govern- 
ment, having supervision of the lighthouse system of the 
United States. It consists of nine members: threecivilians 
(the Secretary of the Treasury, the Superintendent of the 
Coast Survey, and a scientist), three naval officers, and 
three officers of the Corps of Engineers of the Army. 
