light has definitions from the fields of chemistry,physics,psychology,military,religion,color,sexuality
1
[ noun ] (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

Examples

"the light was filtered through a soft glass window"

Used in print

(Jack Kaplan, "The Health Machine Menace: Therapy by...)

He knew just the thing for her - a treatment from his `` cosmic light ozone generator '' machine .

The human_body - he pointed_out , for_example - required 33 units of blue light .

(Francis J. Johnston and John E. Willard, "The...)

The photochemical_exchange occurs with a quantum yield of the order of unity in the liquid phase at 65 ` using light absorbed only by the * * f .

The rate of the gas phase exchange reaction appears to be proportional to the first power of the absorbed light intensity indicating that the radical intermediates are removed at the walls or by reaction with an impurity rather than by bimolecular radical combination reactions .

The photochemical_reaction cells consisted_of 10 mm. i.d. Pyrex tubing , 5.5 cm. long , diffraction effects being minimized by the fact that the light passed_through only liquid glass interfaces and not gas glass interfaces .

2
[ noun ] any device serving as a source of illumination

Synonyms

light_source

Examples

"he stopped the car and turned off the lights"

Used in print

(Rocky Mountains News, [Denver, Colorado],...)

It was the season 's first night_game and an obvious refocusing of the lights are in_order .

(Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)

Both shudder at the thought of proceeding too far beyond the sewage_system and the electric light lines .

(Frank Getlein and Harold C. Gardiner, S.J., Movies,...)

Each frame comes between the light and the lens and is individually projected on the screen , at the rate , for silent_movies , of 16 frames per second , and , for sound films , 24 frames per second .

(Edwin L. Bigelow and Nancy H. Otis,...)

This was nearly completed May 23 , 1901 with a promise of lights by June 10 , but the first light did not go_on until September 28 .

This was nearly completed May 23 , 1901 with a promise of lights by June 10 , but the first light did not go_on until September 28 .

3
[ adjective ] of comparatively little physical weight or density

Examples

"a light load" "magnesium is a light metal--having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C"

Used in print

(The Sun, [Baltimore],...)

The 6 - foot 3 inch Hansen checked_in close_to 200 pounds , 15 pounds lighter than his reporting_weight last spring .

When he was inducted into the Army at Fort_Knox_, Ky. , Hansen 's weight had dropped to 180 - `` too light for me to be at my best '' he said .

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

There are many soft and light shoe_leathers available .

At the left is a pair of dressy straw pumps in a light , but crisp texture .

(Mr. America, 4:6...)

Now good definition is one thing that all_of us can acquire with occasional high-set , high-rep , light weight workouts .

4
[ noun ] a particular perspective or aspect of a situation

Examples

"although he saw it in a different light, he still did not understand"

Used in print

(Gibson Winter, The Suburban Captivity of the...)

The fact that metropolitan churches of the major denominations have moved approximately every generation for the last hundred years becomes somewhat more intelligible in the light of_this struggle to maintain economic balance .

(Randall Stewart, "A Little History, a Little Honesty: A...)

The cliche loses its talismanic virtue in the light of a_little history .

(William C. Smith, "Why Fear Ideas?"...)

In_truth , we can say that this broke the power of Senator_Joseph_McCarthy , who was finally exposed in full light to the American people .

(Arlin Turner, "William Faulkner, Southern Novelist"...)

The fact that he has cast over those materials the light of a skeptical mind does not make him any the less Southern , I rather think , for the South has been no_more solid than other regions except in the political and related areas where patronage and force and intimidation and fear may produce a surface uniformity .

(Irving Fineman, Woman of Valor: The Life of Henrietta...)

Women themselves have come to look_upon matters in the same light as the outside world , and scarcely find any wrong in submitting to the importunities of a stronger will , even when their affections are withheld .

Related terms

position

5
[ verb ] make lighter or brighter

Examples

"This lamp lightens the room a bit"

Used in print

(Science of Mind, 34:11...)

For if I knew the secret of letting this power in my body change directly into electricity , I could rent myself out to the electric companies and with just the power in my body I could light all the lights and run all the factories in the entire United_States for some days .

(Julia Newman, "Travel and Camera USA"...)

Another Virginia sight and a photographic adventure are the Luray_Caverns , lit by photofloodlights .

(Brett Halliday, The Careless Corpse....)

The stairway on_the_right was dark , but there was a wall-switch at the bottom which lighted another dim bulb at the top , and they went_up .

(Thomas Anderson, Here Comes Pete Now....)

It was dark and , I sensed , very large ; only the counter at one end was lighted by a long fluorescent tube suspended directly above it .

When suitably lighted , what would it look_like ?

6
[ verb ] begin to smoke

Synonyms

fire_up light_up

Examples

"After the meal, some of the diners lit up"

Used in print

(Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)

Smiling at his quixotic thoughts , Warren turned_back from the opening and lit a cigarette before sitting_down .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

A fire had just been lighted , he saw , and things had been set_out for drinks , and , like any stray , his response to these comforts was instantaneous .

His worries harried him up out of bed , and he lighted a cigarette and went to the window .

(Octavia Waldo, A Cup of the Sun....)

He would order her to bring coffee , and would take from his vest_pocket a thin black pipe which he would stuff - he would not remove his gloves - and light and smoke .

Related terms

ignite smoke

7
[ noun ] (physics) the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light

Examples

"its luminosity is measured relative to that of our sun"

Used in print

(The Providence Journal...)

But it strikes sparks on_occasion and their light causes all else to be forgotten .

(Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)

Above , the glowing ivory baton of their searchlight pointed at the clouds , diluting the valley 's dark to a pallid light .

(Robert Penn Warren, Wilderness....)

Now , Adam , in the gray light of afternoon , stared across at the hut opposite his tent , and thought_of Simms_Purdew lying in there in the gloom , snoring on his bunk , with the fumes of whisky choking the air .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

Leaving her house one late afternoon , Mrs._Pastern stopped to admire the October light .

(Frieda Arkin, "The Light of the Sea," in The...)

She looked at the girl speculatively from eyes which had paled with the years ; from the early evening lights of them which had first startled Izaak to look at her in an uncousinly way , they had faded to a near absence of color which had , possibly from her constant looking_at the water , something of the light of the sea in them .

8
[ adjective ] (used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent

Synonyms

light-colored

Examples

"light blue" "light colors such as pastels" "a light-colored powder"

Used in print

(Hampton Stone, The Man Who Looked Death...)

Dark gray sports_jacket , lighter gray slacks , pink flannel shirt , black silk necktie .

9
[ noun ] an illuminated area

Examples

"he stepped into the light"

Used in print

(David Stacton, The Judges of the Secret Court....)

But it also looked_like a toad , hopping away from the light .

(William Maxwell, The Chateau....)

In the dim underwater light they dressed and straightened up the room , and then they went across the hall to the kitchen .

(Philip Jos‚ Farmer, The Lovers....)

And , somewhere in_that enormous light , was his apartment .

(Richard Ferber, Bitter Valley....)

But a moment later he brought his horse forward into the light , and Wilson had a good look at him .

If she did , he could stand it better in the light .

Related terms

scene

10
[ adjective ] (military) of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment

Examples

"light infantry" "light cavalry" "light industry" "light weapons"

Used in print

(Robert A. Futterman, The Future of Our Cities....)

To light industry , the economies of being on one floor are much slighter , but efficiency_engineers usually believe_in them , and manufacturers looking_for ways to cut costs cannot be prevented from turning_to efficiency_engineers .

And wherever the new thruways go_up their banks are lined by neat glass and metal and colored brick light industry .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

He was brigadier of the club 's locker-room light infantry , and at one time or another declared war on Russia , Czechoslovakia , Yugoslavia , and China .

Related terms

heavy light-armed light-armed

11
[ noun ] (religion) a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination

Synonyms

illumination

Examples

"follow God's light"

Used in print

(Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)

`` Gladius_Dei '' ( 1902 ) resembles `` The_Way_to_the_Churchyard '' in its representation of a conflict between light and dark , between `` Life '' and a spirit of criticism , negation , melancholy , but it goes considerably further in characterizing the elements of this conflict .

Related terms

condition condition

12
[ noun ] the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures

Synonyms

lightness

Examples

"he could paint the lightest light and the darkest dark"

Used in print

(Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)

`` Gladius_Dei '' ( 1902 ) resembles `` The_Way_to_the_Churchyard '' in its representation of a conflict between light and dark , between `` Life '' and a spirit of criticism , negation , melancholy , but it goes considerably further in characterizing the elements of this conflict .

13
[ adjective ] not great in degree or quantity or number

Examples

"a light sentence" "a light accent" "casualties were light" "light snow was falling" "light misty rain" "light smoke from the chimney"

Used in print

(Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)

A `` mental_image '' subconsciously impressing us from beneath its language symbols in wakeful thought , or consciously in light sleep , is actually not an image at_all but is comprised of realities , viewed not in the concurrent sensory stream , but within the depths of the fourth_dimension .

Related terms

heavy easy

14
[ verb ] to come to rest, settle

Synonyms

alight perch

Examples

: "Misfortune lighted upon him."

Used in print

(Harold Rosenberg, "The Trial and Eichmann"...)

But if the Trial did not expose the special Nazi mania so deadly to Jews as_well_as to anyone upon whom it happened to light , neither did it warn very effectively against the ordinary anti-Semitism of which the Nazis made such effective use in Germany and wherever else they could find it .

Related terms

land

15
[ adjective ] psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles

Examples

"a light heart"

Used in print

(The Providence Journal...)

One of the finest soft_shoe tunes ever invented , `` Once_in_Love_with_Amy '' is also , of_course , one of the most tantalizingly persistent of light love_lyrics to come_out of American musical_comedy in our era .

(Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land....)

He had been weary ; now he felt light and gay and clear-headed , ready for the many actions he saw spreading_out before him .

Related terms

heavy fooling

16
[ noun ] a person regarded very fondly

Examples

"the light of my life"

Used in print

(Christopher Davis, First Family....)

Apparently you were the light of their lives '' .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

Then he played nine imaginary holes of golf , choosing his handicap , his irons , his stance , his opponents , and his weather in_detail , but the green of the links seemed faded in the light of his business worries .

Related terms

friend

17
[ adjective ] characterized by or emitting light

Examples

"a room that is light when the shutters are open" "the inside of the house was airy and light"

Used in print

(William Maxwell, The Chateau....)

The apex , the study where Eugene slept , was light and bright and airy and cheerful .

(Jane Gilmore Rushing, "Against the Moon,"...)

It was full-of-the-moon ( or a_little past ) , and nearly light as day .

18
[ noun ] brightness and animation of countenance

Synonyms

spark sparkle

Examples

"he had a sparkle in his eye"

Related terms

expression vitality

19
[ verb ] cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat

Synonyms

ignite

Examples

"Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter." "Light a cigarette."

Used in print

(Edwin Booth, Outlaw Town....)

He found a match in his pocket and lit it .

A match flared , and he reached above his head to light a lantern which hung from a wire loop .

20
[ adjective ] used of vowels or syllables; pronounced with little or no stress

Synonyms

weak unaccented

Examples

"a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable" "a weak stress on the second syllable"

Used in print

(Ralph B. Long. The Sentence and Its Parts: A...)

But when what is new in a particular context is also fairly obvious , there is normally only light stress or no stress at_all .

Thus to has light stress both in that was the conclusion that I came to and in that was the conclusion I came to .

Related terms

unstressed

21
[ adjective ] (used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency

Synonyms

sandy friable

Examples

"light sandy soil"

Used in print

(Organic Gardening and Farming,...)

A light , porous mulch applied now keeps the roots cool and the soil soft during these early days of growth .

We put a light mulch over the seedlings ; now we must use a heavy one .

Related terms

loose

22
[ adjective ] easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned

Examples

"a light diet"

Used in print

(Guy Bolton, The Olympians....)

The light supper over , Claire went to him and , slipping an arm about his shoulder , sat on his knee .

(Octavia Waldo, A Cup of the Sun....)

With his mouth opened wide , he squirted the warm white milk against the roof of his mouth and his tongue savored the light , earthy taste of it .

Related terms

digestible

23
[ noun ] (psychology) mental understanding as an enlightening experience

Examples

"he finally saw the light" "can you shed light on this problem?"

Used in print

(Glayds H. Barr, The Master of Geneva....)

But he had_to follow the light .

(James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)

`` Last year your Tennessee_Williams told our Dilys_Powell , in a television_program , that it is the task of the playwright to throw light into the dark corners of the human heart .

Related terms

insight

24
[ noun ] having abundant light or illumination

Synonyms

lighting

Examples

: "they played as long as it was light" or "as long as the lighting was good"

Used in print

(Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)

We have ample light when the sun sets ; the temperature of our homes is independent of the seasons ; we fly through the air , although gravity pulls us down ; the range of our voice ignores distance .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

The clear and searching sweep of sun on the lawns was like a climax of the year 's lights .

Related terms

dark illumination

25
[ adjective ] moving easily and quickly; nimble

Synonyms

tripping lightsome

Examples

"the dancer was light and graceful" "a lightsome buoyant step" "walked with a light tripping step"

Related terms

light-footed

26
[ adjective ] (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims

Synonyms

clear unclouded clean

Examples

"efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings" "clear laughter like a waterfall" "clear reds and blues" "a light lilting voice like a silver bell"

Used in print

(Tom F. Driver, "Beckett by the Madeleine,"...)

The voice is light in timbre , with a rough edge that corresponds to his visage .

Related terms

pure

27
[ noun ] public awareness

Examples

"it brought the scandal to light"

Used in print

(Doris Miles Disney, Mrs. Meeker's Money....)

He had to look_for other prospects , other motives until more conclusive evidence pointing to Johnston came to light .

Related terms

public_knowledge

28
[ adjective ] demanding little effort; not burdensome

Examples

"light housework" "light exercise"

Related terms

undemanding

29
[ adjective ] of little intensity or power or force

Examples

"the light touch of her fingers" "a light breeze"

Related terms

heavy easy

30
[ adjective ] (physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average

Examples

"light water is ordinary water"

Related terms

heavy chemistry

31
[ adjective ] having a spongy or flaky texture; well-leavened

Examples

"light pastries"

Related terms

leavened

32
[ verb ] get off (a horse)

Related terms

descend riding

33
[ adjective ] silly or trivial

Synonyms

idle

Examples

"idle pleasure" "light banter" "light idle chatter"

Related terms

frivolous

34
[ adjective ] having little importance

Examples

"losing his job was no light matter"

Related terms

insignificant

35
[ verb ] fall to somebody by assignment or lot

Synonyms

fall

Examples

: "The task fell to me" "It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims"

Related terms

fall fall accrue

36
[ adjective ] less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so

Synonyms

scant short

Examples

"a light pound" "a scant cup of sugar" "regularly gives short weight"

Related terms

insufficient

37
[ adjective ] very thin and insubstantial

Synonyms

flimsy

Examples

"thin paper" "flimsy voile" "light summer dresses"

Related terms

thin

38
[ adjective ] (sexuality) casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior

Examples

"her easy virtue" "he was told to avoid loose (or light) women" "wanton behavior"

Related terms

unchaste

39
[ noun ] (religion) a divine presence believed by Quakers to enlighten and guide the soul

Related terms

ethical_motive

40
[ adjective ] intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound

Examples

"light verse" "a light comedy"

Related terms

frivolous

41
[ noun ] a visual warning signal

Examples

"they saw the light of the beacon" "there was a light at every corner"

42
[ noun ] Last name, frequency rank in the U.S. is 1847
43
[ adjective ] weak and likely to lose consciousness

Examples

"suddenly felt faint from the pain" "was sick and faint from hunger" "felt light in the head" "a swooning fit" "light-headed with wine" "light-headed from lack of sleep"

Related terms

ill

44
[ adjective ] marked by temperance in indulgence

Synonyms

abstemious

Examples

"abstemious meals" "a light eater" "a light smoker" "ate a light supper"

Related terms

temperate

45
[ adverb ] with few burdens

Synonyms

lightly

Examples

"experienced travellers travel light"

46
[ adjective ] weak and likely to lose consciousness

Examples

"suddenly felt faint from the pain" "was sick and faint from hunger" "felt light in the head" "a swooning fit" "light-headed with wine" "light-headed from lack of sleep"

Related terms

ill

47
[ adjective ] designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight

Examples

"light aircraft" "a light truck"

Related terms

light-duty

48
[ adjective ] having relatively few calories

Synonyms

lite low-cal diet

Examples

"diet cola" "light (or lite) beer" "lite (or light) mayonnaise" "a low-cal diet"

Related terms

nonfat

49
[ adjective ] (of sleep) easily disturbed

Synonyms

wakeful

Examples

"in a light doze" "a light sleeper" "a restless wakeful night"

Related terms

shallow

50
[ noun ] a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires

Examples

"do you have a light?"

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