Forms: 1 léoht, Anglian leht, 3 liht, 4 lith, lyȝt, 4–5 liȝt, 4–6 lyght, 5 leyȝt, licht, 6 lighte, lycht, 4– light. [OE. léoht (Anglian lĕht) = OFris. li(a)cht, OS., OHG. lioht (MHG. lieht, mod.G. and Du. licht): see LIGHT sb.]
1. † a. Bright, shining, luminous. Of a fire: Burning brightly. Phrase, On (of, in) a light fire: in a blaze (very common in 16–18th c.). Obs.
c. 825. Vesp. Psalter, xviii. 9. Bibod dryhtnes leht [Vulg. lucidum] inlihtende eʓan.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 30. Scoð þonne æt leohtum fyre.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 4464. Gods … Sum of latoun & of lede & sum of liȝt siluir.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8742. Ymages … Lokend full lyuely as any light angels.
14[?]. Tundale’s Vis., 2120 (MS. A.). Bryghtter … Then ever schon sonne that was soo lyȝt.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 1300 (Horstm.). To stanche þat feyre þat was so leyȝt.
1583. Stocker, Civ. Warres Lowe C., IV. 57 b. At that tyme also was fire cried at Giethorne, and soone after, many houses were seene on a light fire.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., 113. Now … we might discover smoke and light fires all the way along.
1643. Trapp, Comm. Gen. xx. 3. For methought, I saw all Heidelberg on a thick smoke, but the Prince his Pallace all on a light fire.
1652. Warren, Unbelievers (1654), 24. All Sodome was of a light fire.
1737. Mem. G. di Lucca, 110. The Flashes were so thick the Sky was almost in a light Fire.
1760. Jortin, Life of Erasmus, II. 717. He piled those ancient books together and set them all on a light fire.
absol. c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 269. It is a foul lesynge to chese wittingly & meyntene þe lesse perfit, & forsake þe liȝttere, sikerere, & perfitere.
b. Of a place, the time of day, etc.: Having a considerable or sufficient amount of light, not dark. † In early use also with stronger sense: Brightly illuminated; fig. enlightened mentally.
c. 900. Bæda’s Hist., I. i. (1890), 26. Ðis ealand … leohte nihte on sumera hafað.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 103. Illuminacio mentis … þat is heorte be liht.
c. 1205. Lay., 7238. Hit wes an ane time, Þat þe dæi wes liht, and þe sunne wes swiðe briht.
c. 1300. Havelok, 593. Also lith was it þer-inne, So þer brenden cerges inne.
c. 1320. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 2064. And to morewen, whan it is light, Sire, thou schalt have thine wille.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter xviii. 9. Charite þat makis þe eghen of oure saule lyght & lufly.
c. 1470. Henryson, Mor. Fab., X. (Fox & Wolf), xxiii. The nicht was licht, and penny full the mone.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 235 a/2. By and by commeth he with the letters, and delyuereth them: it was skarce lyght daye.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 90. Nocht be the day was lycht, nathir at noneday bot at evin.
1611. Bible, Micah ii. 1. When the morning is light, they practise it [euill].
1704. Norris, Ideal World, II. Pref. 8. A man that has a light shop had need sell good ware.
1844. J. T. Hewlett, Parsons & W., ix. The boy … got up before it was light on the following morning.
1861. Flor. Nightingale, Nursing, 56. A patient’s bed should always be in the lightest spot in the room.
Mod. The morning-room is a nice light room.
† c. Clean, pure. Obs.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 681. Þat is of hert boþe clene & lyȝt. Ibid., B. 987. Wyth lyȝt louez vp-lyfte þay loued hym swyþe.
2. Pale in hue. Also = light-colo(u)red.
1548. Turner, Names of Herbes (1881), 73. Siligo … is a kynde of ryghte wheate … Therfore let it be called in englishe lyght wheate.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2182/4. He had a light bob Periwig.
1727. Boyer, Fr. Dict., Light Hair, des Cheveux blonds.
1799. G. Smith, Laboratory, I. 394. Draw your stuff quickly through, three or four times, according as you would have it deeper or lighter. Ibid., 305. Body [of artificial fly] light fur of an old fox.
1873. Act 36 & 37 Vict., c. 85 § 3. Her name … shall be marked on her stern … on a light ground in black letters.
1898. Pall Mall Gaz., 3 Feb., 9/1. Never back a bird which has a light or yellow eye.
b. Prefixed, as a qualification, to other adjectives of color. (Usually hyphened with the adj. when the latter is used attributively.)
c. 1420. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 617. 7 pannis integris de lyghtgrene.
a. 1450. Fysshynge w. Angle (1883), 10. A lyght plunket colour.
a. 1500. [see GLAD a. 1].
1530. Palsgr., 239/1. Lyght grene popyngay coloure, uertgay.
1729. Savage, Wanderer, I. 71. The dawn in light-grey mists arose.
1863. I. Williams, Baptistery, II. xix. (1874), 25. Beneath an ash-tree’s light-green shade, There side by side the Three are laid.
1885. Miss Braddon, Wyllard’s Weird, i. 14. A background of light-drab cloth.
3. Comb.: parasynthetic, as light-colo(u)red, -complexioned, -haired, -leaved, -veined, -waved adjs.
1631. Sanderson, Serm. (1631), II. 2. A too-too *light-coloured habit certainly suteth not well with the gravity of a sermon.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2136/4. Left in a Hackney Coach … light-colour’d gray cloth Sur-toute Coat.
1882. Garden, 4 Feb., 78/1. The American Ash is, as a rule, lighter coloured both in foliage and bark than ours.
1861. Waugh, Goblin’s Grave, 11. Her *light-complexioned face beamed with … good nature.
1870. Bryant, Iliad, I. X. 302. The husband of the *light-haired queen of heaven.
1896. A. E. Housman, Shropshire Lad, lxiii. And fields will yearly bear them As *light-leaved spring comes on.
1613–39. I. Jones, in Leoni, Palladio’s Archit. (1742), II. 50. *Light-vein’d marble.
1824. T. Fenby, Hymn to May, iv. 5. Yon *light-wav’d clouds thy tresses show.
