alight

Etymology 1

From Middle English alighten (“to descend from a place: to dismount, get off; to descend to a place: to arrive or stop (at a place); to land; to drop; to attack; of lightning: to strike; to leap on to, mount; to descend in rank; to cause (someone) to lose rank; to come forth, spring from; to alleviate, relieve; (Christianity) of Jesus: to come down to earth from heaven, become incarnate; to descend (to hell); of the Holy Spirit, angels, miracles, etc.: to descend (from heaven); to descend (upon someone); to appear in a place”) [and other forms], from a merger of: * Old English ālīhtan (“to alight, dismount”), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to descend, alight, light; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“not heavy, light”); and * Old English ġelīhtan (“to descend; to come down, dismount; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), from ġe- (intensifying prefix, attached to verbs to indicate completeness or perfection) + līhtan, līehtan (see above). The English word is analysable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to ease, lighten; to take off; to unload; to dismount; (archaic) to come down, land; to dismount”). cognates * Middle Low German erlichten (“to lighten”) * Old High German gilīhten (“to make less heavy, lighten”) (Middle High German gelīhten); Old High German irlīhten (“to alleviate”) (Middle High German erlīhten, modern German erleichten)

verb

1. (transitive, also figurative, obsolete) To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve.
2. (intransitive)
   1. Often followed by from or off: to get off an animal which one has been riding; to dismount; to descend or exit from a vehicle; hence, to complete one's journey; to stop.
      He alighted from his horse.
      Passengers are alighting from the carriage.
      Dashing back to my compartment, I grabbed my impedimenta—what my companion thought of the maniac who alighted at a station only half-way to the first booked stop I don't know!—got out, hurried under the subway, and was into my 10.45 comfortably before its departure. 1939 June, “Pertinent Paragraphs: A Surprise at Didcot”, in The Railway Magazine, Westminster, London: IPC Transport Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 452
      That, combined with the fact that I alight with only four or five other passengers, is a sad reminder of how most people continue to choose to travel to this far-flung corner of the UK. 3 November 2021, Paul Stephen, “As Far North as You Can Go … to Thurso”, in Rail, number 943, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 49
   2. (also figurative) Often followed by at, on, or upon: of something aloft: to descend and settle; to land, to lodge, to rest.
      A flying bird alights upon a tree.
      Snow alights on a roof.
      In 1851 the Great Northern Railway had reached London and began operating into a terminus at Maiden Lane, just north of the New Road [later renamed Euston Road]. In 1854 they moved up to the New Road itself, with the opening of King's Cross station, east of Euston. The railways were alighting on the New Road like birds perching on a branch (the Midland Railway would open St Pancras, between Euston and King's Cross in 1868), and [Charles] Pearson took note. 2012, Andrew Martin, “The World of Charles Pearson”, in Underground Overground: A Passenger’s History of the Tube, paperback edition, London: Profile Books, published 2013, page 25
   3. (archaic)
      1. To come down or go down; to descend.
      2. Often followed by on or upon: of a blow, something thrown, etc.: to land heavily.
   4. (figurative) Often followed by on or upon: to find by accident; to chance upon, to come upon.
   5. (obsolete) To arrive.

Etymology 2

The verb is probably derived partly: * from Middle English alighten (“to kindle, light, set on fire; to begin burning; to become bright, shine; to arouse, rouse, stir; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually, illuminate”) [and other forms], from Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (“to light up; enlighten”) (perhaps modelled after Latin illūmināre, the present active infinitive of illūminō (“to brighten, illuminate, light up”)), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to glow, to shine; to illuminate, to light”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“to see; to shine; bright”)); and * from Middle English onlighten (“to cause (something) to shine; to clarify; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually”) [and other forms], from Old English onlīhtan, a variant of inlīhtan (“to give light to, brighten, illuminate; to cause to shine; to shine; (figuratively) to give clear sight; to clear a mental fog, enlighten”), from Proto-Germanic *inliuhtijaną (“to enlighten, illumine”), from *in (“in; into”) + *liuhtijaną (“to give light, shine”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-; see above); and * from later uses of alight (adjective). The English word is analysable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to start (a fire); to burn, set fire to; to become ignited, take fire; to provide light, illuminate; to show the way by means of a light”). The adjective and adverb are derived from Late Middle English alight (adjective) [and other forms], from Old English ālīht, ālȳht, a past participle form of Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (verb) (see above); but have also been subsequently interpreted as a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’, used to show a condition, manner, or state) + light (“not dark or obscure, bright, clear; highly luminous”). cognates * German erleuchten (“to light up, illuminate”)

verb

1. To cast light on (something); to illuminate, to light up.
2. To set light to (something); to set (something) on fire; to ignite, to light.

adj

1. Burning, lit, on fire.
   The burning embers and the dry wind quickly set the whole neighbourhood alight.
   The sticks were damp and wouldn’t catch alight.
   With a heavy load of 650 tons for Arras and Lille we started very quietly, with about a third of a glass of water, and the fire barely alight. This frightened me, but I had reckoned without the 4-6-4's American mechanical stoker. 1961 February, Balmore [pseudonym], “Driving and Firing Modern French Steam Locomotives – Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 110
2. Often followed by with: shining with light; luminous, radiant; also, brightly coloured; vivid.
   1. Of an electrical light source: switched on and emitting light.
3. (figurative) Aglow with activity or emotion.
   Her face was alight with happiness.

adv

1. (also figurative) Chiefly in set alight: in flames, on fire; aflame.