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a·light²

(ə-līt)

adj.

1. Burning; lighted: The discarded match was still alight.

2. Illuminated: The sky was alight with millions of stars.

[Middle English, past participle of alighten, to set on fire, from Old English ālīhtan, to illuminate : ā-, intensive pref. + līhtan, to shine (from lēoht, a light; see LIGHT¹).]

a·light adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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