Sighte

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling for the power of vision by which things are perceived with the eyes ; a scene or spectacle that is looked upon ; to catch a glimpse of something at a distance
2. An older form denoting the ability of the eyes to perceive objects ; a view or spectacle taken in by looking ; to spot or make out something from afar
3. The faculty by which the eyes take in light and form images ; a scene that draws the gaze of onlookers ; to come upon or notice something in the distance

Etymology: "Sighte" is a Middle English spelling of "sight," the form the word took after it had passed through the Old English "gesiht," which meant the faculty of seeing and the act of seeing. The "gh" in the spelling records a consonant sound that was pronounced in Old English and later disappeared from speech, leaving only the letters behind. The word belongs to the same family as "see." Old English "seon" (to see) and "gesiht" both grew from a shared Germanic base, so "sight" is, in effect, the noun made from the act of seeing. Spellings like "sighte" were common while the language was still settling its written forms, and the final "-e" was eventually dropped as English spelling standardized.