Forms: 1 léohte, 3 lihte, 3–5 liȝt, 5 lyghte, 6 Sc. licht, 4– light. [OE. léohte = OS. lîhto (Du. licht), OHG. lîhto (MHG. lîhte, mod.G. leicht), f. OTeut. *liŋhto- LIGHT a.1]
1. In a light manner (cf. senses of the adj.); lightly as opposed to heavily; nimbly, † quickly; † easily, comfortably.
In the phrases to think light of, † to care light for, etc., there may be confusion with LITE, little.
c. 900. Bæda’s Hist., IV. xix. (1890), 320. Þa wæs heo ʓeseʓen þurh tweʓen daʓas, þæt hire leohtor & wel wære.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 290, in O. E. Misc., 120. Þene vnþev lihte leten heo myhte.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 18059. Fra hus he lepe selcutli light.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 272. He wend haf had fulle light, Edward at his wille.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., 653. And þane to þe lystis þe lordis leppis fulle lyghte.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 268. Euery thing lijk to an other thing bringith into ymaginacioun and into mynde better and liȝtir and esier the thing to him lijk, than the thing to him lasse lijk.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, L ij. Blessed be the houre that my suster clothed her so light.
1573. Satir. Poems Reform., xlii. 432. Thocht of the matter thay pas licht.
1590. Greene, Never too Late (1600), N 1 b. So light the Ferriman for loue doth care, As Venus passe not if she pay no fare.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. viii. 10. His boystrous club, so buried in the ground, He could not rearen up againe so light.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., V. i. 401. Euerie Elfe and Fairie spright, Hop as light as bird from brier. Ibid. (1592), Ven. & Ad., 1028. The grasse stoops not, she treads on it so light.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 308. He … treads so light he scarcely prints the Plains.
1807. Wordsw., Song at Feast Brougham Castle, 75. Thoughts that pass Light as the wind along the grass.
1871. Rossetti, Last Confession, 401. She went with … hands held light before her.
1896. A. E. Housman, Shropshire Lad, lix. Lie you easy, dream you light.
Proverb. 1546. J. Heywood, Prov. (1867), 77. Light come, light go.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull, III. iv. Light come, light go, he cares not a farthing.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. ix. Light come, light go; they wouldn’t have been comfortable with money in their pockets in the middle of the half.
2. Comb. (with pres. and pa. pples.) as light-bounding, -charged, -clad, -disposed, -harnessed, -loaded, -poised, etc.
1533–4. Act 25 Hen. VIII., c. 17. Many wilfull and light disposed persons … haue attempted the … violacion of the same statutes.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst. (1634), Pref. The light-beleeving and ignorant multitude.
1596. Edward III., I. ii. Nor rusting canker have the time to eat Their light-borne snaffles.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Ann., I. xiii. (1622), 24. The Bructeri … Stertinius ouerthrew with a company of light harnessed souldiers.
1725. Pope, Odyss., VIII. 303. Light-bounding from the earth, at once they rise.
1726–46. Thomson, Winter, 645. The fop light-fluttering spreads his mealy wings.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., V. 463. Earth’s inchanted cup With cool reserve light-touching.
1750. Chatham, in Seward, Anecd. (1796), III. 386. ’Midst all the tumults of the warring sphere, My light-charg’d bark may haply glide.
1751. Act 24 Geo. II., c. 8 § 17. Damages do often happen to light-loaded Barges … by deep-loaded Barges … lying across … in the said Rivers.
1776. Mickle, trans. Camoens’ Lusiad, 227. The dancers’ heels light-quivering beat the ground.
1777. R. Potter, Æschylus, Agamem., 236. Fond as a boy to chace The winged bird light-flitting round.
1798. Sotheby, trans. Wieland’s Oberon (1826), II. 152. A veil, light-shadowing each voluptuous charm.
1812. Byron, Ch. Har., I. lxxiii. With milk-white crest, gold spur, and light-pois’d lance.
1823. Roscoe, Sismondi’s Lit. Eur. (1846), II. xxxi. 329. Our light-swung hammocks answering to the breeze.
1876. Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., III. xliv. 269. Lighter-clad intelligence.
1883. F. M. Wallem, Fish Supply Norway, 31 (Fish. Exhib. Publ.). Add … a few light-fried truffles or mushrooms.
1883. R. W. Dixon, Mano, II. vi. 84. The Saracen’s curved sword and light-wrought mail.
