light ( gh silent), ligt, lygt, lyht

& leoht light; light an, lihtan to shine; cogn, with Dut. licht: Ger. licht: O. H. Ger, liuhta: Goth. liu hath. The- t is a suffix. Cf. Icel. ljós =light; log i = a flame; Scotch lowe; Lat. lux (gen it. lucis ), lumen =light; Gr. leukos =white; Gael, leus light, .] A. As substantive: I. Ordinary Language: 1. Literally: (1) In the same sense as II. 5. " Light travels from the sun at the rate of twelve millions of miles a minute." -Paley: Natural Theology, ch. xxi. (2) That from which light i ues; that which renders other objects or bodies clear, distinct, or visible to the eye of the observer, such as the sun, the moon, a candle, . "Then he called for a light , and sprang in and fell down before Paul." -Acts xvi. 29. (3) That state of things in which objects are or become visible; the physical conditions or phephenomena constituting day. nomena determining the visibility of objects; the "God called the light day, and the darkne he called night."-Genesis i. 5. (4) That by which light is admitted into a place otherwise devoid of light, as a window, an opening in a wall. [II. 1.] 2. Figuratively : (1) That which illuminates or enlightens; that which is a source of mental, moral, or religious enlightenment; a guide. (Of persons and things.) "You have known better lights and guides than these." Words worth: Excursion, bk. iv. (2) A person who is eminent or conspicuous for some great quality; a model, an example. chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this; or emi ion and direction, and to the visible characteristics by which the mariner distinguishes one light from another when arriving off a coast, so as to ascertain his geographical position, and his bearings as to his port or course. (See FIXED, FLASHING, FLOATING, INTERMITTENT, and REVOLVING LIGHT.] (2) Lights carried by ships as a safeguard against collision. At sea, sailing ships carry a red light on the port, and a green light on the starboard side. Steamers in addition, a white masthead light. All ve els at anchor carry a white light simply. 4. Optics : The natural agent which, by acting on the retina, excites in us the sensation of vision. Two leading hypotheses regarding its nature have been formed: the one the emi ion or corpuscular theory, which, though supported by the great name of Sir Isaac Newton, has been abandoned [EMISSION], and the other the undulatory theory, which now obtains. The latter a umes the existence everywhere through the universe, or the portion of it with which we are connected, of an extremely subtle elastic medium, called luminiferous ether, the undulations of which constitute light, and when they impinge upon the retina produce vision. The particles agitated are not transmitted, but only the disturbance. The movements are held to be strictly analogous to the undulations of the atmosphere which produce and convey sound; or, as the word undulation imports, those of the ocean in producing waves. Several methods of calculating the velocity with which light is transmitted are known. By one, the size of the minute circle through which the aberration of light makes stars apparently revolve is carefully noted, and the relative proportion of the earth's velocity in her orbit to that of light arriving from the stars ascertained. The result is that light is found to move about a hundred you sand times as fast as the earth, which gives the velocity about 190,000 miles per second. By another, observation is made of the time in which light actually arrives at the eye from one of Jupiter's satellites at the commencement or the close of an occultation as compared with their calculated times. It is found that 8' 18' are required for light to travel over half the earth's orbit, which gives, as in the former case, about 190,000 miles per second for its velocity. The velocity is also measured directly, by two instrumental methods devised respectively by Foucault and Fizeau, with the same results. The great sources of light are the sun, the fixed stars (other suns), bodies in a state of ignition, electricity, . The bodies sending forth rays or pencils of light are called luminous [PENCIL-RAY]; those through which it pa es easily, transparent or diaphanous; those through which it pa es le easily, translucent; and those through which it cannot pa at all, opaque. When a ray meets the surface of a body, it may be refracted and decomposed [REFRACTION, SPECTROSCOPE, SPECTRUM] or reflected [REFLECTION]. When it encounters an opaque body it casts a shadow. Admitted into a dark chamber through a small aperture to fall on a screen, the rays make images of external objects reversed. The illuminating power on any surface sin, as; expect, Xenophon, exist. ph = f. 16. Wanting in solidity or steadine ; trifling: in- dulging in or exhibiting levity; frivolous. ( Judges ix. 5.) 17. Characterized by levity or frivolity; frivolous. "In the light language of an idle court, They murmured at their master's long delay." Scott: Vision of Don Roderick , 4. 18. Easily influenced; unsettled, irresolute, vola- tile, fickle; as, a light mind. 19. Wanton, unchaste. "A light wife doth make a heavy husband." Shakesp.: Merchant of Venice, v. "Is he not light of brain?"-Shakesp.: Othello , iv. 1. 23. Not heavy in appearance. "The church at Walden is one of the lightest and most beautiful parish churches I have seen." - Walpole : Anec- dotes of Painting , vol. ii., ch. i. 24. Gay, airy. (Byron: Childe Harold , ii. 10.) B. As adv .: Lightly, cheaply. (1) To make light of : To treat or regard as of little or no moment; to disregard, to slight. "But they made light of it, and went their ways."- Matthew xxii. 5. (2) To set light by : To undervalue, to despise. light-armed, a . Not armed with heavy weapons. IMG:content-0554.png:[blocks in formation] Eng. Mil.: A brigade composed of three or more regiments of Hu ars, or, as they were formerly termed, Light Dragoons. light-cavalry, s . 11. Active, nimble, quick. "Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe."-2 Sam . ii. 18. 12. Not dense, not gro , not thick; thin. " Light fumes are merry, gro er fumes are sad." Dryden: Cock and Fox , 329. "Get me a taper in my study, Lucius: When it is lighted , come and call me here." Shakesp.: Julius Cæsar, ii. 1. "A beam that falls Fresh from the pure glance of thine eye, Lighting to eternity. Crashaw. ( Todd .) "And many a car, now lighted of its lord, Wide o'er the fields with guidele fury rolls." IMG:content-0555.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0556.png:[blocks in formation] "A youth, lighthearted and content, I wander through the world." IMG:content-0557.png:[blocks in formation] light-legged ( gh silent), a . [English light , a., and legged .] Active, nimble, light-footed. Destitute of light; not giving light; dark. light-le ( gh silent), a. [Eng. light , s.; -le .] light-lỹ ( gh silent), *ligt-li, adv . [Eng. light , IMG:content-0558.png:[ocr errors] "The soft ideas of the cheerful note, Lightly received, were easily forgot." 3. Not grievously; slightly. "He lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali."- Isaiah ix. 1. 4. Easily; without much meaning or imp or- tance; in a light, trifling manner. 6. Without careful thought or consideration. 7. Nimbly, easily, swiftly. "Seeming to bear it lightly ." Shakesp.: Antony and Cleopatra , iv. 14. 9. Not chastely; wantonly, frivolously; with lev- ity; as, to behave lightly . 10. Not highly; not as of importance or moment. *11. Commonly, usually, generally. "Short summers lightly have a forward spring." Shakesp.: Richard III ., iii. 1. light-lý ( gh silent), v . t. [LIGHTLY, adv .] To slight; to treat slightingly, or with contempt or neglect. ( Scotch .) *light-măn ( gh silent), 8. [Eng. light (1) s., and man.] A linkman (q. v.). "The midwife moon might mind her calling, And noisy light man leave his bawling." IMG:content-0559.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0560.png:[blocks in formation] lighthouse-lenses, s . pl . Optics: Lenses of large dimensions, suitable for of lightne , which rise in signification on one lighthouses. [ECHELON-LENS.] another; volatility being more than lightne , and chin, bench; go, gem; thin , this ; lights lights ( gh silent), s. pl. [LIGHT, a.] The organs of breathing, called in man lungs (q. v.). "Under the heart lie the lights , which is the very seat of breathing."-P. Holland : Pliny , bk. xi., ch. xxv.