a·light

1 [uh-lahyt]
verb (used without object), a·light·ed or a·lit, a·light·ing.
1.
to dismount from a horse, descend from a vehicle, etc.
2.
to settle or stay after descending: The bird alighted on the tree.
3.
to encounter or notice something accidentally.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English alighten, Old English ālīhtan, equivalent to ā- a-3 + līhtan to relieve (originally an animal mount) of weight, light2)

Dictionary.com Unabridged

a·light

2 [uh-lahyt]
adverb, adjective
1.
provided with light; lighted up.
2.
on fire; burning.
Origin:
before 1000; now taken as a-1 + light1; orig. past participle of alight to light up (Middle English alihten, Old English onlīhtan, equivalent to on a-1 + līhtan to light1)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Alight is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
alight1 (əˈlaɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb , alights, alighting, alighted, alit
1.  (usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from): to alight from a taxi
2.  to come to rest; settle; land: a thrush alighted on the wall
 
[Old English ālīhtan, from a-² + līhtan to make less heavy, from līhtlight²]

alight2 (əˈlaɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj, —adv
1.  burning; on fire
2.  illuminated; lit up
 
[Old English ālīht lit up, from ālīhtan to light up; see light1]

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

alight
"to descend, dismount," O.E. alihtan, from a- "down, aside" (see a- (1)) + lihtan "get off, make light" (see light (v.)).

alight
"on fire," early 15c., apparently from M.E. aliht, pp. of alihton (O.E. on-lihtan) "to light up," also "to shine upon" (see light (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
What matters are the ideas, not the brains in which they alight.
They met with her and her attorney, removed items she did not agree to, and developed alight-duty position thats he could perform.
Nothing in his official business looks likely to set the sky alight.
The birds couldn't alight on the mats and his head simultaneously.
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