alighten Meaning & Definition
What Does Alighten Mean?
As a verb, alighten means To alight, to dismount or get down from. It can also mean To alight; to land, to descend and rest.
Alighten at a Glance
| Part of speech | verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /əˈlaɪtən/ |
| Verb forms | alightens, alightening, alightened |
Alighten Definition (Verb)
- To alight, to dismount or get down from.
- To alight; to land, to descend and rest.
Verb
- To lighten; to reduce in weight or heaviness.
Verb
- To make light; to illuminate or brighten.
Synonyms of Alighten
The source does not list synonyms for this entry.
Alighten synonyms and antonyms →Word Forms & Grammar
alighten (third-person singular simple present alightens, present participle alightening, simple past and past participle alightened)
Origin of Alighten
Origin 1: From Middle English alighten, from a merger of Old English ālīhtan (“to alight, dismount”), from prefix ā- (compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er- originally meaning "out") + līhtan (“to alight”); and Old English ġelīhtan (“to alight, approach, come, come down, dismount”); equivalent to alight + -en.
Origin 2: From Middle English alighten, from a merger of Old English ālīhtan (“to lighten, relieve, alleviate, take off, take away, alight”) and Old English ġelīhtan (“to lighten, mitigate, assuage”); equivalent to a- + lighten.
Origin 3: From Middle English alighten, from Old English ālīhtan (“to light up, enlighten”); equivalent to a- + light. Cognate with German erleuchten (“to light up, illuminate”).