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gas·light (găslīt′)
Share:
n.
1. Light produced by burning illuminating gas.
2. A gas burner or lamp.
tr.v. gas·light·edor gas·lit , gas·light·ing, gas·lights
To psychologically manipulate (someone) so that they question their memories, perception, or sanity: “Feminists are often gaslighted into believing that holding their partners accountable for promoting gender equality is unreasonable” (Suzannah Weiss).
[GAS + LIGHT1. Verb, after the play Gas Light (1938) by British playwright Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) and its film adaptations, in particular Gaslight (1944), in which a woman experiences strange events, such as the unexplained dimming of the gaslights in her house, and doubts her own sanity when she is told she is imagining or misremembering her experiences.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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