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LIGHT (1),
illumination. (E.) M.E. light, Chaucer, C. T. 1989,
1991.—A.S. leóht, Grein, ii. 177; cf. lýhtan, líhtan, to shine, id.
ii. 200. [The vowel i = A.S. í = ý, due to mutation of
eó = Goth. iu.]
+ Du. licht. + G. licht, O.H.G. liuhta. + Goth. liuhath, light.
β.
Observe that the t is a mere suffix; A.S. leóh-t = O.H.G. liuh-ta = Goth.
liuh-ath; thus the base is LUH, to shine, Fick, iii. 274. γ.
Neglecting the final t, we have cognate words in Icel. ljós
(= liuh-sa), light,
Icel. logi, a flame (whence Lowland Scotch lowe, a flame), Lat. lux (=
luc-sa),
light, Lat. lumen (= luc-men), light, luna (= luc-na), the moon; with numerous
connected terms, such as Lat. lucubrare, lucus, lustrare, illustris,
&c. So also Gk. λευκ-ός, white, bright, λύχνος (= λυκ-νος), a
light, lamp, &c. δ. All from ✔RUK,
to shine; cf. Skt. ruch, to shine, whence ruch, light, splendour, the exact
equivalent of Lowland Scotch lowe. Der. light-house.
Also light, verb, M.E. lighten, Chaucer, C. T. 2428, A.S. lýhtan, líhtan, Grein,
ii. 200; whence light-er, sb. Also light-en (1), q.v.,
light-ning,
q.v. Connected words are luc-id, luc-i-fer, e-luc-idate,
il-lu-minate, lu-nar, lu-natic, luc-ubration, lea (q.v.), lustre, il-lu-strate,
il-lu-strious, lu-minous, lynx, &c. LIGHT
(2), active, not
heavy, unimportant. (E.) M.E. light, Chaucer, C. T.
9087; lightly, adv., id. 1463.—A.S. leóht, adj., Grein,
ii. 176. Here eó = í; and leóht
= líht. + Du. ligt. + Icel. léttr. +
Dan. let. + Swed. lätt. + Goth. leihts, 2 Cor. i. 17. + G.
leicht, M.H.G. líhte, O.H.G. líhti,
líht. β. The t is a suffix (= -ta), and the base
líh appears to be equivalent to linh, the long i being due to loss of
n; also, the
form linh is a nasalised form for lah, answering to the Gk.
λαχ-, appearing
in
ἐ-λαχ-ύς, light.
'Líhta stands, according to rule, for linh-ta,
and comes from the same root as Lithuanian lengwa-s, light, Church Slavonic
lĭgŭkŭ, light [Russ. légkii], Gk. ἐ-λαχ-ύς
and Skt. laghu, light;' Fick, iii.
264. To which may be added Lat. leuis, light, usually supposed to
stand for leguis, from the same base. γ. The common ground-form is
LAGHU or RAGHU, light, as evidenced by the preceding forms, esp. by the Gk. and
Skt.; to which add Skt. raghu, the Vedic form for laghu; Benfey, p.
753. δ. All from the
✔RAGH, to spring, run, hasten; appearing in
Skt. rangh, to move swiftly, langh, to jump over, rañh, to move swiftly; Irish
lingim, I spring, skip, bound. See Fick, i. 190. Thus
the orig. sense is 'springy,' active, nimble; from which the other senses are
easily deduced. Der. light-ly, light-ness, lights, q.v.,
light-fingered, light-headed, light-hearted, light-minded, &c.; light-some,
Rom. of the Rose, l. 936; light-some-ness; light-en (2), q.v.;
light-er,
q.v. From the same root we have (from Lat. leu-is) lev-ant, lev-er,
lev-ity, lev-y, al-lev-iate, &c. And see Long. LIGHT
(3), to settle,
alight, descend. (E.) M.E. lighten, lihten; 'adun heo
gunnen lihten' = they alighted down; Layamon, 26337; 'he lighte a-doun
of lyard' = he lighted down from his horse, P. Plowman, B. xvii. 64.
β. The sense is to relieve a horse of his burden, and the word is identical with
M.E. lighten in the sense of to relieve of a burden. The derivation
is from the adj. light, not heavy; see Light (2). γ. When a man
alights from a horse, he not only relieves the horse of his burden, but
completes the action by descending or alighting on the earth; hence light came
to be used in the sense of to descend, settle, often with the prep. on. 'New
lighted on a heaven-kissing hill;' Hamlet, iii. 4. 59;
'this murderous shaft Hath yet not lighted;' Macb. ii. 3. 148.
Hence
this verb is really a doublet of Lighten (2), q.v., as well as of
Lighten (3). Der. light-er, q.v. And see
Alight, verb.
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