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light on

 [lahyt]   Origin

light

3   [lahyt]
verb (used without object), light·ed or lit, light·ing.
1.
to get down or descend, as from a horse or a vehicle.
2.
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.
3.
to come by chance; happen; hit (usually followed by on or upon): to light on a clue; to light on an ideal picnic spot.
4.
to fall, as a stroke, weapon, vengeance, or choice, on a place or person: The choice lighted upon our candidate.
Verb phrases
5.
light into, Informal. to make a vigorous physical or verbal attack on: He would light into anyone with the slightest provocation.
6.
light out, Slang. to leave quickly; depart hurriedly: He lit out of here as fast as his legs would carry him.

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Light on is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
before 900; Middle English lihten, Old English līhtan to make light, relieve of a weight; see light2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

light (līt)
n.

  1. 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.

  2. Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
light   (līt)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. 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.

  2. 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.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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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.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

light definition


  1. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. : I began to feel a little light along about the fourth beer.
  2. n.
    an eye. (Crude. Usually plural.) : You want I should poke your lights out?
  3. 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.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

light on

Also, light upon. Happen upon, come across, discover. For example, John was delighted to light on a new solution to the problem, or We were following the path when suddenly we lit upon a cave. [Second half of 1400s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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