a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

something that makes things visible or affords illumination: All colors depend on light.

Physics.

Also called luminous energy, radiant energy. electromagnetic radiation to which the organs of sight react, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 700 nm and propagated at a speed of 186,282 mi./sec (299,972 km/sec), considered variously as a wave, corpuscular, or quantum phenomenon.

a similar form of radiant energy that does not affect the retina, as ultraviolet or infrared rays.

the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of sight.

an illuminating agent or source, as the sun, a lamp, or a beacon.

the radiance or illumination from a particular source: the light of a candle.

EXPAND

the illumination from the sun; daylight: We awoke at the first light.

daybreak or dawn: when light appeared in the east.

daytime: Summer has more hours of light.

a particular light or illumination in which an object seen takes on a certain appearance: viewing the portrait in dim light.

10.

a device for or means of igniting, as a spark, flame, or match: Could you give me a light?

11.

a traffic light: Don't cross till the light changes.

12.

the aspect in which a thing appears or is regarded: Try to look at the situation in a more cheerful light.

13.

the state of being visible, exposed to view, or revealed to public notice or knowledge; limelight: Stardom has placed her in the light.

14.

a person who is an outstanding leader, celebrity, or example; luminary: He became one of the leading lights of Restoration drama.

15.

Art.

the effect of light falling on an object or scene as represented in a picture.

one of the brightest parts of a picture.

16.

a gleam or sparkle, as in the eyes.

17.

a measure or supply of light; illumination: The wall cuts off our light.

18.

spiritual illumination or awareness; enlightenment.

19.

Architecture.

Also called day. one compartment of a window or window sash.

a window, especially a small one.

20.

mental insight; understanding.

21.

lights, the information, ideas, or mental capacities possessed: to act according to one's lights.

22.

a lighthouse.

23.

Archaic. the eyesight.

COLLAPSE

adjective

24.

having light or illumination; bright; well-lighted: the lightest room in the entire house.

25.

pale, whitish, or not deep or dark in color: a light blue.

26.

(of coffee or tea) containing enough milk or cream to produce a light color.

verb (used with object)

27.

to set burning, as a candle, lamp, fire, match, or cigarette; kindle; ignite.

28.

to turn or switch on (an electric light): One flick of the master switch lights all the lamps in the room.

29.

to give light to; furnish with light or illumination: The room is lighted by two large chandeliers.

30.

to make (an area or object) bright with or as if with light (often followed by up): Hundreds of candles lighted up the ballroom.

31.

to cause (the face, surroundings, etc.) to brighten, especially with joy, animation, or the like (often followed by up): A smile lit up her face. Her presence lighted up the room.

EXPAND

32.

to guide or conduct with a light: a candle to light you to bed.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

33.

to take fire or become kindled: The damp wood refused to light.

34.

to ignite a cigar, cigarette, or pipe for purposes of smoking (usually followed by up): He took out a pipe and lighted up before speaking.

35.

to become illuminated when switched on: This table lamp won't light.

36.

to become bright, as with light or color (often followed by up): The sky lights up at sunset.

37.

to brighten with animation or joy, as the face or eyes (often followed by up).

Idioms

38.

bring to light, to discover or reveal: The excavations brought to light the remnants of an ancient civilization.

39.

come to light, to be discovered or revealed: Some previously undiscovered letters have lately come to light.

40.

hide one's light under a bushel, to conceal or suppress one's talents or successes.

41.

in a good/bad light, under favorable (or unfavorable) circumstances: She worshiped him, but then she'd only seen him in a good light.

42.

in (the) light of, taking into account; because of; considering: It was necessary to review the decision in the light of recent developments.

EXPAND

43.

light at the end of the tunnel, a prospect of success, relief, or redemption: We haven't solved the problem yet, but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

44.

see the light,

to come into existence or being.

to be made public.

to begin to accept or understand a point of view one formerly opposed: Her father was opposed to her attending an out-of-town college, but he finally saw the light.

45.

shed/throw light on, to clarify; clear up: His deathbed confession threw light on a mystery of long standing.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
before 900; (noun and adj.) Middle English; Old English lēoht; cognate with Old Saxon lioht, Old Frisian liacht, Dutch, German licht, Gothic liuhath (noun); akin to Old Norse ljōs (noun), ljōss (adj.), Latin lūx (noun), Greek leukós bright, white; (v.) Middle English lighten, Old English līhtan, cognate with Old Saxon liuhtian, Old High German liuhten (German leuchten), Gothic liuhtjan

Related forms

light·ful, adjective

light·ful·ly, adverb

Can be confused: lighted, lit.

adjective

of little weight; not heavy: a light load.

of little weight in proportion to bulk; of low specific gravity: a light metal.

of less than the usual or average weight: light clothing.

weighing less than the proper or standard amount: to be caught using light weights in trade.

of small amount, force, intensity, etc.: light trading on the stock market; a light rain; light sleep.

EXPAND

using or applying little or slight pressure or force: The child petted the puppy with light, gentle strokes.

not distinct; faint: The writing on the page had become light and hard to read.

easy to endure, deal with, or perform; not difficult or burdensome: light duties.

not very profound or serious; amusing or entertaining: light reading.

10.

of little importance or consequence; trivial: The loss of his job was no light matter.

11.

easily digested: light food.

12.

low in any substance, as sugar, starch, or tars, that is considered harmful or undesirable: light cigarettes.

13.

(of alcoholic beverages)

not heavy or strong: a light apéritif.

(especially of beer and wine) having fewer calories and usually a lower alcohol content than the standard product.

14.

spongy or well-leavened, as cake.

15.

(of soil) containing much sand; porous or crumbly.

16.

slender or delicate in form or appearance: a light, graceful figure.

17.

airy or buoyant in movement: When she dances, she's as light as a feather.

18.

nimble or agile: light on one's feet.

19.

free from trouble, sorrow, or worry; carefree: a light heart.

20.

cheerful; gay: a light laugh.

21.

characterized by lack of proper seriousness; frivolous: light conduct.

22.

sexually promiscuous; loose.

23.

easily swayed; changeable; volatile: a heart light of love; His is a life of a man light of purpose.

24.

dizzy; slightly delirious: I get light on one martini.

25.

Military. lightly armed or equipped: light cavalry.

26.

having little or no cargo, encumbrance, or the like; not burdened: a light freighter drawing little water.

27.

adapted by small weight or slight build for small loads or swift movement: The grocer bought a light truck for deliveries.

28.

using small-scale machinery primarily for the production of consumer goods: light industry.

29.

Nautical. noting any sail of light canvas set only in moderate or calm weather, as a royal, skysail, studdingsail, gaff topsail, or spinnaker.

30.

Meteorology. (of wind) having a speed up to 7 miles per hour (3 m/sec). Compare light air, light breeze.

31.

Phonetics. (of l-sounds) resembling a front vowel in quality; clear: French l is lighter than English l.

32.

Prosody. (of a syllable)

unstressed.

short.

33.

Poker. being in debt to the pot: He's a dollar light.

COLLAPSE

adverb

34.

lightly: to travel light.

35.

with no load or cargo hauled or carried: a locomotive running light to its roundhouse.

noun

36.

a light product, as a beer or cigarette.

Idiom

37.

make light of, to treat as unimportant or trivial: They made light of our hard-won victory.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English lēoht, līht; cognate with Old Frisian li(u)cht, Old Saxon -līht, Dutch licht, German leicht, Old Norse lēttr, Gothic leihts

Synonyms
7. indistinct; faded. 10. trifling, inconsiderable. 19. cheery, happy. 21. flighty.

Antonyms
1. heavy.

verb (used without object), light·ed or lit, light·ing.

to get down or descend, as from a horse or a vehicle.

to come to rest, as on a spot or thing; fall or settle upon; land: The bird lighted on the branch. My eye lighted on some friends in the crowd.

to come by chance; happen; hit (usually followed by on or upon): to light on a clue; to light on an ideal picnic spot.

to fall, as a stroke, weapon, vengeance, or choice, on a place or person: The choice lighted upon our candidate.

Verb phrases

light into, Informal. to make a vigorous physical or verbal attack on: He would light into anyone with the slightest provocation.

light out, Slang. to leave quickly; depart hurriedly: He lit out of here as fast as his legs would carry him.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English lihten, Old English līhtan to make light, relieve of a weight; see light²

Link To Lights

Collins

World English Dictionary

lights¹ (laɪts)

—*pl n*
	a person's ideas, knowledge, or understanding: he did it according to his lights

lights² (laɪts)

—*pl n*
	the lungs, esp of sheep, bullocks, and pigs, used for feeding pets and occasionally in human food

[C13: plural noun use of light², referring to the light weight of the lungs]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

light

"touch down," from O.E. lihtan "to alight," from P.Gmc. *linkhtijan, lit. "to make light," from *lingkhtaz "not heavy" (see light (adj.)). Apparently the ground sense is "to dismount a horse, etc., and thus relieve it of one's weight." To light out "leave hastily" is 1870,

EXPAND

from a nautical meaning "move out, move heavy objects," of unknown origin but perhaps belonging to this word.

lights

"the lungs," c.1200, lit. "the light (in weight) organs," from light (adj.) (see lung). Obsolete now except in phrases like to knock (someone's) lights out.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

light (līt)
n.

Electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength in the range from about 4,000 (violet) to about 7,700 (red) angstroms and may be perceived by the normal unaided human eye.
Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

light (līt) Pronunciation Key

Electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. It is made up of electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between 4 × 10^-7 and 7 × 10^-7 meters. Light, and all other electromagnetic radiation, travels at a speed of about 299,728 km (185,831 mi) per second in a vacuum. See also photon.
Electromagnetic energy of a wavelength just outside the range the human eye can detect, such as infrared light and ultraviolet light. See Note at electromagnetic radiation.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

light definition

The type of electromagnetic wave that is visible to the human eye. Visible light runs along a spectrum from the short wavelengths of violet to the longer wavelengths of red. (See photon.)

Slang Dictionary

light definition

mod.
alcohol intoxicated. : I began to feel a little light along about the fourth beer.
n.
an eye. (Crude. Usually plural.) : You want I should poke your lights out?
n.
a police car. : A couple of lights turned the corner just as the robbers were pulling away.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

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Matching Quote

"But to consider this Subject in its most ridiculous Lights, Advertisements are of great Use to the Vulgar: First of all, as they are Instruments of Ambition. A Man that is by no Means big enough for the Gazette, may easily creep into the Advertisements.... A Second Use which this Sort of Writings have been turned to of late Years, has been the Management of Controversy, insomuch that above half the Advertisements one meets with now-a-Days are purely Polemical.... The Third and last Use of these Writings is, to inform the World where they may be furnished with almost every Thing that is necessary for Life. If a Man has Pains in his Head, Cholicks in his Bowels, or Spots in his Clothes, he may here meet with proper Cures and Remedies."

-Joseph Addison

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