alight

• POS: Verb (intransitive), Adverb
• HYPHEN: a=light

CIDE DICTIONARY

alight, v. i. [OE. alihten, fr. AS. ālīhtan; pref. ā- (cf. Goth. us-, G. er-, orig. meaning out) + līhtan, to alight, orig. to render light, to remove a burden from, fr. līht, leoht, light. See Light, v. i.].

•  To spring down, get down, or descend, as from on horseback or from a carriage; to dismount.  [1913 Webster]
•  To descend and settle, lodge, rest, or stop; as, a flying bird alights on a tree; snow alights on a roof.  [1913 Webster]
•  To come or chance (upon).  [1913 Webster]

alight, a. [Pref. a- + light.].

 Lighted; lighted up; in a flame.  Dickens.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

alight, v.intr.
1 a (often foll. by from) descend from a vehicle. b dismount from a horse.
2 descend and settle; come to earth from the air.
3 (foll. by on) find by chance; notice.

alight, predic.adj.
1 on fire; burning (they set the old shed alight; is the fire still alight?).
2 lighted up; excited (eyes alight with expectation).

Etymology

ME, prob. f. phr. on a light (= lighted) fire

THESAURUS

alight

ablaze, afire, aflame, aflicker, aglow, ardent, bathed with light, bespangled, blazing, bright, brightened, burning, candent, candescent, candlelit, climb down, comburent, come down, come in, come to land, conflagrant, crash-land, debark, debus, deplane, descend, detrain, disembark, disemplane, dismount, ditch, dock, downwind, drop, drop anchor, effulgent, enlightened, fall, fiery, firelit, flagrant, flaming, flaring, flickering, fulgent, fuming, gaslit, get down, get off, glowing, go ashore, guttering, ignescent, ignited, illuminated, in a blaze, in a glow, in flames, incandescent, inflamed, irradiate, irradiated, kindled, lamplit, land, lanternlit, level off, light, lighted, lightened, lit, lit up, live, living, luminous, make a landfall, make land, make port, moonlit, moor, on fire, overshoot, pancake, perch, put in, put into port, reach land, reeking, refulgent, roost, scintillant, scintillating, set down, settle, settle down, sit down, smoking, smoldering, spangled, sparking, star-spangled, star-studded, starlit, studded, sunlit, talk down, tie up, tinseled, touch down, tumble, unboat, unextinguished, unhorse, unquenched, upwind

ROGET THESAURUS

alight

Quiescence

VB be quiescent, stand still, lie still, keep quiet, repose, hold the breath, remain, stay, stand, lie to, ride at anchor, remain in situ, tarry, mark time, bring to, heave to, lay to, pull up, draw up, hold, halt, stop, stop short, rest, pause, anchor, cast to an anchor, come to an anchor, rest on one's oars, repose on one's laurels, take breath, stop, stagnate, quieta non movere, let alone, abide, rest and be thankful, keep within doors, stay at home, go to bed, dwell, settle, alight, stick, stick fast, stand like a post, not stir a peg, not stir a step, be at a stand, quell, becalm, hush, stay, lull to sleep, lay an embargo on.

Navigation

VB sail, put to sea, take ship, get under way, set sail, spread sail, spread canvas, gather way, have way on, make sail, carry sail, plow the waves, plow the deep, plow the main, plow the ocean, walk the waters, navigate, warp, luff, scud, boom, kedge, drift, course, cruise, coast, hug the shore, hug the land, circumnavigate, ply the oar, row, paddle, pull, scull, punt, steam, swim, float, buffet the waves, ride the storm, skim, effleurer, dive, wade, fly, be wafted, hover, soar, flutter, jet, orbit, rocket, take wing, take a flight, take off, ascend, blast off, land, alight, wing one's flight, wing one's way, aviate, parachute, jump, glide.

Arrival

VB arrive, get to, come to, come, reach, attain, come up with, come up to, overtake, make, fetch, complete, join, rejoin, light, alight, dismount, land, go ashore, debark, disembark, put in, put into, visit, cast anchor, pitch one's tent, sit down, get to one's journey's end, make the land, be in at the death, come back, get back, come home, get home, return, come in, make one's appearance, drop in, detrain, deplane, outspan, de-orbit, come to hand, come at, come across, hit, come upon, light upon, pop upon, bounce upon, plump upon, burst upon, pitch upon, meet, encounter, rencounter, come in contact.

Descent

VB descend, go down, drop down, come down, fall, gravitate, drop, slip, slide, rappel, settle, plunge, plummet, crash, decline, set, sink, droop, come down a peg, slump, dismount, alight, light, get down, swoop, stoop, fall prostrate, precipitate oneself, let fall, tumble, trip, stumble, titubate, lurch, pitch, swag, topple, topple over, tumble over, topple down, tumble down, tilt, sprawl, plump down, come down a cropper.

Heat

N heat, caloric, temperature, warmth, fervor, calidity, incalescence, incandescence, glow, flush, fever, hectic, phlogiston, fire, spark, scintillation, flash, flame, blaze, bonfire, firework, pyrotechnics, pyrotechny, wildfire, sheet of fire, lambent flame, devouring element, adiathermancy, recalescence, summer, dog days, canicular days, baking, heat, white heat, tropical heat, Afric heat, Bengal heat, summer heat, blood heat, sirocco, simoom, broiling sun, insolation, warming, sun, pyrology, thermology, thermotics, thermodynamics, thermometer, calorie, gram-calorie, small calorie, kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, large calorie, British Thermal Unit, B, T, U, therm, quad, degrees Kelvin, kelvins, degrees centigrade, degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit, hot, warm, mild, genial, tepid, lukewarm, unfrozen, thermal, thermic, calorific, fervent, fervid, ardent, aglow, sunny, torrid, tropical, estival, canicular, steamy, close, sultry, stifling, stuffy, suffocating, oppressive, reeking, baking, red hot, white hot, smoking hot, burning, hot, piping hot, like a furnace, like an oven, burning, hot as fire, hot as pepper, hot enough to roast an ox, hot enough to boil an egg, fiery, incandescent, incalescent, candent, ebullient, glowing, smoking, live, on fire, dazzling, in flames, blazing, in a blaze, alight, afire, ablaze, unquenched, unextinguished, smoldering, in a heat, in a glow, in a fever, in a perspiration, in a sweat, sudorific, sweltering, sweltered, blood hot, blood warm, warm as a toast, warm as wool, volcanic, plutonic, igneous, isothermal, isothermic, isotheral, not a breath of air, whirlwinds of tempestuous fire.