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Light Definition

light

Contents

English

Wikipedia has articles on: Light

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Old English līhtan (“illuminate”)

Verb

light (third-person singular simple present lights, present participle lighting, simple past and past participle lit or lighted)

  1. (transitive) To start (a fire).
    We lit the fire to get some heat.
  2. (transitive) To set fire to.
    She lit her last match.
  3. (transitive) To illuminate.
    I used my torch to light the way home through the woods in the night.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to start (a fire)
to illuminate
  • Afrikaans: skyn, belig
  • Arabic: أضاء (ar) (ʾaḍāʾa)
  • Armenian: լուսավորել (hy) (lusavorel)
  • Basque: argitu (eu)
  • Bulgarian: осветявам (bg)
  • Catalan: encendre, il·luminar
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 照明 (zh) (zhàomíng)
  • Croatian: osvijetliti (hr)
  • Czech: osvětlit, osvítit
  • Danish: belyse (da), oplyse (da)
  • Dutch: lichten (nl), bijlichten (nl)
  • Finnish: valaista (fi)
  • French: allumer (fr), illuminer (fr)
  • German: beleuchten (de), anstrahlen (de)
  • Greek: φωτίζω (el)
  • Hebrew: האיר (he) (he'ír)
  • Hungarian: világít (hu)
  • Icelandic: lýsa (is)
  • Italian: illuminare (it)
  • Japanese: 照らす (ja) (てらす, terasu)
  • Korean: 불켜다 (ko) (bul-kyeoda), 밝히다 (ko) (balkida), 비추다 (ko) (bichuda)
  • Kurdish:
    Kurmanji: ron kirin
  • Latin: illuminare (la)
  • Latvian: apgaismot
  • Lithuanian: apšviesti (lt)
  • Malayalam: പ്രകാശിയ്ക്കുക (prakaaSiykkuka)
  • Norwegian: opplyse (no)
  • Persian: افروختن (fa) (afrōxtan), روشن کردن (fa) (rowšan kardan)
  • Polish: oświetlić, iluminować
  • Portuguese: iluminar (pt)
  • Romanian: lumina (ro), ilumina (ro)
  • Russian: освещать (ru) (osveščát’) impf., осветить (ru) (osvetít’) pf.
  • Slovak: svietiť (sk)
  • Slovene: osvetliti (sl)
  • Spanish: iluminar (es)
  • Swahili: nuru (sw)
  • Swedish: belysa (sv), lysa upp (sv)
  • Telugu: ప్రకాశింపజేయు (prakaaSiMpajEyu)
  • Turkish: aydınlatmak (tr)
  • Vietnamese: chiếu sáng, rọi sáng, soi sáng
  • Welsh: goleuo
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
  • Esperanto: eklumigi (to light)
  • Guaraní: myendy (1,2)
  • Hindi: (jalana)
  • Ido: acendar
  • Indonesian: menyalakan (1), menerangi (2)
  • Interlingua: accender (1), illuminar (2)
  • Romanian: aprinde (1), ilumina (2)
  • Tupinambá: moendy (1,2)
  • Tagalog: ilaw

Etymology 2

Old English lēoht. Cognate with Dutch licht, German Licht.

Noun

Wikipedia has an article on: Light

Wikipedia light (plural lights)

  1. (uncountable) The natural medium emanating from the sun and other very hot sources (now recognised as electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 400-750 nm), within which vision is possible.
    As you can see, this spacious dining-room gets a lot of light in the mornings.
  2. A source of illumination.
    Put that light out!
  3. Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.
    Can you throw any light on this problem?
  4. (in the plural, now rare) Facts. pieces of information; ideas, concepts.
    • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 166:
      Now these notions are twofold, actions or habits [...], which are durable lights and notions, which we may use when we will.
  5. A notable person within a specific field or discipline.
    Picasso was one of the leading lights of the cubist movement.
  6. A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.
    I'm really seeing you in a different light today.
    Magoon's governorship in Cuba was viewed in a negative light by many Cuban historians for years thereafter.
  7. A flame or something used to create fire.
    Hey, buddy, you got a light?
  8. A window, or space for a window in architecture
    This facade has eight south-facing lights.
  9. The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue
    The average length of a light on a 15x15 grid is 7 or 8.
  10. (informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from light (noun)
Translations
electromagnetic wave
  • Afrikaans: lig (af)
  • Albanian: dritë (sq) f.
  • Arabic: نور (ar) (nuur) m., ضوء (ar) (Daw’) m.
    Egyptian Arabic: نور (nor) m.
  • Armenian: լույս (hy) (luys)
  • Azeri: işıq (az)
  • Bashkir: яҡты (yaqtı), яҡтылыҡ (yaqtılıq)
  • Basque: argi (eu)
  • Bengali: আলো (bn) (ālō)
  • Bulgarian: светлина (bg) (svetliná)
  • Catalan: llum (ca) f.
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 光 (zh) (guāng), 灯 (zh) (dēng), (electromagnetic wave) 電磁波 (zh), 电磁波 (zh) (diàncíbō)
  • Crimean Tatar: yarıq
  • Croatian: svjetlo (hr) n.
  • Czech: světlo (cs) n.
  • Danish: lys (da) n.
  • Dutch: licht (nl) n.
  • Esperanto: lumo (eo)
  • Estonian: valgus (et)
  • Evenki: ӈэри (ŋeri)
  • Finnish: valo (fi)
  • French: lumière (fr) f.
  • Georgian: შუქი (ka) (šuk’i)
  • German: Licht (de) n.
  • Greek: φως (fos) n.
  • Haitian Creole: limyè
  • Hawaiian: lama, ao
  • Hebrew: אורה (he) (orá) f., אור (he) (ór) m.
  • Hindi: प्रकाश (hi) (prakāś) m., रोशनी (hi) (rośnī) f.
  • Hungarian: fény (hu)
  • Hunsrik: licht
  • Icelandic: ljós (is) n.
  • Ilocano: silaw
  • Indonesian: cahaya (id)
  • Interlingua: lumine (ia)
  • Irish: solas (ga) m.
  • Italian: luce (it) f.
  • Japanese: 光 (ja) (ひかり, hikari), (electromagnetic wave) 電磁波 (ja) (でんじは, denjiha)
  • Karachay-Balkar: жарыкъ (carıq), джарыкъ (carıq)
  • Karakalpak: jarıq
  • Kazakh: жарық (kk) (jarıq)
  • Khakas: чарых (çarıx)
  • Korean: 빛 (ko) (bit)
  • Kumyk: ярыкъ (yarıq)
  • Kurdish:
    Kurmanji: ronî f., ronahî f.
  • Kyrgyz: жарык (ky) (carıq)
  • Lao: ແສງ (lo) (sëëng)
  • Latin: lux (la) f., lumen (la) n.
  • Latvian: gaisma (lv) f.
  • Lithuanian: šviesa (lt) f.
  • Luxembourgish: Liicht n.
  • Macedonian: светлина (mk) (svétlina) f.
  • Malay: cahaya (ms)
  • Malayalam: വെളിച്ചം (veLicham), പ്രകാശം (prakaaSam)
  • Manx: sollys (gv)
  • Maori: rama (mi)
  • Mongolian: гэрэл (mn) (gerel)
  • Nogai: ярык (yarıq)
  • Norwegian: lys (no) n.
  • Old Irish: solus
  • Old Prussian: swāikstan n.
  • Persian: نور (nur), فروغ (fa) (fruĝ)
  • Polish: światło (pl) n.
  • Portuguese: luz (pt) f.
  • Pumpokol: hixem
  • Romanian: lumină (ro) f.
  • Russian: свет (ru) (svet) m.
  • Scots: licht
  • Scottish Gaelic: solas (gd) m., soillse (gd) f.
  • Shor: чарық (çarıq)
  • Slovak: svetlo (sk) n.
  • Slovene: svetloba (sl) f.
  • Sotho: lesedi (st)
  • Southern Altai: јарык (carıq)
  • Spanish: luz (es) f.
  • Sumerian: nuru, immaru
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Swedish: ljus (sv) n.
  • Tagalog: ilaw
  • Tajik: нӯр (tg) (nūr)
  • Tamil: ஒளி (ta) (ōni)
  • Tatar: yaqtı (tt), yaqtılıq (tt)
  • Telugu: కాంతి (kaaMti), వెలుతురు (veluturu)విద్యుత్ అయస్కాంత క్షేత్రము(vidtut ayaskanta kshetramu)
  • Thai: แสง (th) (saeng)
  • Turkish: ışık (tr)
  • Turkmen: yşyk (tk), ýagtylyk (tk)
  • Tuvan: чырык (çırıq)
  • Ukrainian: світло (uk) n.
  • Urdu: روشنی (ur) (rośnī) f., پرکاش (ur) (prakāś) m., نور (ur)
  • Uzbek: yorugʻlik (uz)
  • Vietnamese: ánh sáng (vi), ánh (vi)
  • Volapük: lit (vo)
  • Welsh: golau (cy), goleuni (cy)
  • West Frisian: ljocht (fy) n.
  • !Xóõ: ǁga̰e
  • Yakut: сырдык (sırdık)
a source of light
a spiritual truth
  • Afrikaans: lig (af)
  • Armenian: լույս (hy) (luys)
  • Basque: argi (eu)
  • Catalan: llum f.
  • Danish: lys (da) n.
  • Dutch: licht (nl) n.
  • Finnish: valo (fi)
  • French: lumière (old-fashioned) (fr) f.
  • German: Erleuchtung (de) f.
  • Greek: φως (fos) n.
  • Hebrew: אור (he) (ór) m., הארה (he) (he`ará) f.
  • Italian: luce (it) m.
  • Korean: 빛 (bit)
  • Kurdish:
    Kurmanji: ronî f., ronahî f.
  • Latin: lux (la), lumen (la) n.
  • Norwegian: lys (no) n.
  • Persian: روشن (fa) (rošan)
  • Polish: światło (pl) n.
  • Portuguese: luz (pt) f.
  • Romanian: lumină (ro) f.
  • Russian: свет (ru) (svet) m.
  • Scottish Gaelic: solas (gd) m., soillse (gd) f.
  • Spanish: luz (es) f.
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Swedish: ljus (sv) n.
  • Telugu: జ్ఞానజ్యోతి (JnaanajyOti)
a point of view
a flame or something used to create fire.
  • Burmese: မီး (my)
  • Catalan: flama, metxa
  • Danish: flamme (da) n.
  • Dutch: vuurtje (nl) n.
  • German: Flamme (de) f.
  • Hebrew: אש (he) (ésh) f.
  • Irish: solas (ga) m.
  • Korean: 불 (bul)
a window
  • Telugu: కిటికి (te) (kitiki)
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
  • Interlingua: lumine
  • Kurdish: ronahî, ronayî
  • Lithuanian: šviesa f. (1); šviestuvas m. (2)
  • Turkish: ışık
  • Tupinambá: endy (t-)

Adjective

light (comparative lighter, superlative lightest)

  1. having light
    The room is nice and light when the sun shines through the window.
  2. pale in colour
    She had light skin.
  3. (of coffee) served with extra milk or cream
    I like my coffee light.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
having light
  • Latvian: gaišs (lv)
  • Lithuanian: šviesus (lt)
  • Norwegian: lyst (no), opplyst (no), belyst (no)
  • Old Prussian: lāuks
  • Polish: widny (pl) m., jasny (pl) m.
  • Russian: светлый (ru) (sv'étlyj), яркий (ru) (járkij)
  • Spanish: luminoso (es)
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Swedish: belyst (sv), ljus (sv)
  • Telugu: కాంతి వంతము (te) (kanti vantamu)
  • Vietnamese: sáng (vi), sáng sủa (vi)
  • Welsh: golau (cy)
pale in colour
  • Latvian: gaišs m., gaiša f., gaišs (lv)
  • Lithuanian: šviesus (lt)
  • Norwegian: lys (no), blek (no)
  • Polish: jasny m., jasna f., jasne n.
  • Portuguese: clara (pt) f., claro (pt) m.
  • Romansch: (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) cler (rm), (Sursilvan) clar (rm)
  • Russian: бледный (ru) (blédnyj) m., светлый (ru) (sv'étlyj)
  • Slovene: svetel m., svetla f., svetlo n.
  • Spanish: claro (es)
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Swedish: blek (sv), ljus (sv)
  • Telugu: పాలిపోవు (te) (palipovu)
  • Turkish: soluk (tr)
  • Vietnamese: nhạt (vi)
  • Welsh: golau (cy)
coffee: served with extra milk or cream
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
  • Mandarin: 浅色 (cmn) (qiǎnsè)
  • Danish: med mælk, med fløde, med melk

Etymology 3

Old English lēoht, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“light”). Cognate with Dutch licht, German leicht, Swedish lätt, Norwegian lett, Latin levis, Lithuanian lengvas, Sanskrit लघु (laghú).

Adjective

light (comparative lighter, superlative lightest)

  1. Of low weight; not heavy.
    My bag was much lighter once I had dropped off the books.
  2. Lightly-built; designed for speed or small loads.
    We took a light aircraft down to the city.
  3. Gentle; having little force or momentum.
    This artist clearly had a light, flowing touch.
  4. Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
    This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it.
  5. Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
    I made some light comment, and we moved on.
  6. (rail transport, of a locomotive, usually with "run") travelling with no carriages, wagons attached
  7. (obsolete) Unchaste, wanton.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.i:
      Long after lay he musing at her mood, / Much grieu'd to thinke that gentle Dame so light, / For whose defence he was to shed his blood.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
of low weight
  • Lao: ຍ່ອງ (lo) (ñööng)
  • Latin: levis (la)
  • Latvian: viegls m., viegla f.
  • Lithuanian: lengvas (lt)
  • Norwegian: lett (no)
  • Old Prussian: lāngus m.
  • Persian: سَبُک (fa) (sabok)
  • Polish: lekki m., lekka f., lekkie n.
  • Portuguese: leve (pt) m. and f.
  • Romanian: ușor (ro)
  • Russian: лёгкий (ru) (ljóxkij)
  • Slovene: lahek m., lahka f., lahko n.
  • Spanish: ligero, liviano (formal)
  • Swahili: wepesi (sw)
  • Swedish: lätt (sv)
  • Telugu: తేలిక (te) (tElika)
  • Thai: เบา (th) (bao)
  • Turkish: hafif (tr)
  • Ukrainian: легкий (leɦkýj) m., легка (leɦká) f., легке (leɦké) n.
  • Vietnamese: nhẹ (vi), nhẹ nhàng (vi)
  • Welsh: ysgafn
lightly-built
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Telugu: తేలికైన నిర్మాణము (te) (telikaina nirmanamu)
  • Vietnamese: nhẹ, nhanh nhẹn (indicates speed due to lightness)
low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
  • Catalan: lleuger, light
  • Danish: kalorielet (da)
  • Dutch: licht (nl)
  • Finnish: kevyt- (in compounds)
  • French: léger (fr)
  • German: leicht (de)
  • Hebrew: דיאטתי (he) (diatéti) m., דיאטתית (he) (diatétit) f., קל (he) (kál) m., קלה (he) (kaláh) f.
  • Icelandic: fitulítill (is) m., fituskertur (is) m., fitusnauður (is) m.
having little force or momentum
  • Telugu: స్వల్ప సిబ్బంది (te) (svalpa sibbandi)
of little significance
  • Danish: banal (da), triviel (da)
  • Dutch: onbelangrijk, triviaal
  • French: léger (fr), sans importance (fr)
  • Norwegian: banal (no), enkel (no)
  • Polish: błahy (pl) m.
  • Portuguese: banal (pt)
  • Swahili: mwanga (sw)
  • Telugu: స్వల్ప సంకేతం (te) (svalpa samketam)
  • Vietnamese: tầm thường (vi)
  • Welsh: disylw, dibwys, ysgafn
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
  • Crimean Tatar: yarıq
  • Guaraní: vevúi
  • Ido: lejera
  • Indonesian: ringan
  • Interlingua: leve, legier
  • Javanese: enteng
  • Lithuanian: lengvas m. (1); šviesus m. (2)
  • Romanian: ușor m. ușoară f.
  • Tupinambá: bebuîa

Adverb

light (comparative lighter, superlative lightest)

  1. Carrying little.
    I prefer to travel light.

Noun

light (plural lights)

  1. (curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough.

Verb

light (third-person singular simple present lights, present participle lighting, simple past and past participle lighted)

  1. (nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter
Derived terms
Translations
unload a ship
  • Italian: allegiare (it), allibare (it)
  • Norwegian: losse (no)

Etymology 4

Old English līhtan

Verb

light (third-person singular simple present lights, present participle lighting, simple past and past participle lit or lighted)

  1. To find by chance.
    I lit upon a rare book in a second-hand bookseller's.
  2. (archaic) To alight.
    She fell out of the window but luckily lit on her feet.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
find by chance
  • Vietnamese: tình cờ gặp
alight

Statistics

Spanish

Etymology

From English light.

Pronunciation

Adjective

light m. and f. singular & plural

  1. light (low in fat, calories, salt, alcohol, etc.)
  2. (of cigarettes) light (low in tar, nicotine and other noxious chemicals)
  3. (by extension) Lacking substance or seriousness; lite.

Usage notes

References

 

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