lighten
Pronunciation
Translations Translations
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈlaɪ.tən/, [ˈlaɪtn̩], [ˈlaɪʔn̩]
From Middle English lightnen, equivalent to light + -en.
Verblighten (lightens, present participle lightening; simple past and past participle lightened)
- (transitive) To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.
- Synonyms: light up
- to lighten an apartment with lamps or gas; to lighten the streets
- (intransitive) To become brighter or clearer; to brighten.
- (intransitive, now, rare) To flash lightning, to give off lightning.
- c. 1590 (date written), G[eorge] P[eele], The Old Wiues Tale. […], London: […] Iohn Danter, for Raph Hancocke, and Iohn Hardie, […], published 1595, →OCLC ↗, [line 500]:
- Enter the Conjurer; it lightens and thunders […]
- 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals):
- […] this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
As doth the lion.
- (transitive) To emit or disclose in, or as if in, lightning; to flash out, like lightning.
- 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene 3]:
- […] behold his eye,
As bright as is the eagle’s, lightens forth
Controlling majesty:
- (archaic) To illuminate with knowledge.
- Synonyms: enlighten
Conjugation of lighten
infinitive | (to) lighten | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | lighten | lightened | |
2nd-person singular | lighten, lightenest† | lightened, lightenedst† | |
3rd-person singular | lightens, lighteneth† | lightened | |
plural | lighten | ||
subjunctive | lighten | lightened | |
imperative | lighten | — | |
participles | lightening | lightened |
†Archaic or obsolete.
- Russian: осветля́ть
- Spanish: aclarar
- Spanish: aligerar
- German: blitzen
From Middle English lightnen, equivalent to light + -en.
Verblighten (lightens, present participle lightening; simple past and past participle lightened)
- (transitive) To alleviate; to reduce the burden of.
- Sorrow can be lightened by being openly brought out.
- (transitive) To make light or lighter in weight.
- (transitive) To make less serious or more cheerful.
- (intransitive) To become light or lighter in weight.
- (intransitive) To become less serious or more cheerful.
Conjugation of lighten
- French: alléger
- German: erleichtern
- Italian: alleggerire
- Portuguese: aliviar
- Russian: облегча́ть
- Spanish: aliviar
- Spanish: aligerar
lighten (lightens, present participle lightening; simple past and past participle lightened)
Related termsThis text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
