Alight

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈlaɪt/

Definitions

1. To step down from a mode of transport or a horse ; to come to rest on something like a branch or surface ; to ignite or begin to burn with flames
2. To dismount or get off a conveyance or riding animal ; to land lightly on an object or place ; to become inflamed or set aflame
3. To leave a vehicle or animal by stepping down ; to alight or settle temporarily on a spot ; to take fire or be consumed by fire

Etymology: Old English had "ālīhtan," built from "ā-" (meaning away, off, or out) and "līhtan," meaning to descend, to make light, or to ease a load. So its first sense was physical: to get down from a horse or cart, or to unload. The word's core idea is lightness. Something that alights has set down its weight, whether a rider slipping from the saddle or a bird touching a branch. The English word is a merger of two Old English verbs, one of them reinforced by a prefixed form, "ġelīhtan," which carried the same descending sense. Over the Middle English period these blended into one verb, and it grew a wide range of meanings. Writers used it for lightning striking, for angels and the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven, and even for a person being brought down in rank. The verb "to set on fire" is a separate thread. It comes from an Old English verb meaning to light up or enlighten, which may have been shaped on Latin "illūmināre." That is how "alight" came to mean "burning," a sense now carried mostly by the adjective, as in a room set alight. The two senses sit side by side in modern English, one about coming down to earth and the other about catching fire.

Synonyms: land, descend, dismount

Antonyms: ascend, take off