Etymograph

English

alighten

Alighten comes from Middle English alighten.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500alighten
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1862same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500alighten
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1862same form

Earliest quotation: 1862, Journal of Horticulture and Practical Ga: “The bees always alighten at the bottom of the…”

Formed from alight + -en

Middle English alighten ‘to descend from a place: to dismount, get off’

English alight

The story

From Middle English alighten, from a merger of Old English ālīhtan (‘to alight, dismount’), from prefix ā- (compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er- originally meaning "out") + līhtan (‘to alight’); and Old English ġelīhtan (‘to alight, approach, come, come down, dismount’); equivalent to alight + -en.

Every English word from Middle English alighten

Another origin of alighten

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500alighten
  2. Englishtodaysame form

Another origin of alighten

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ālīhtan‘to light up, enlighten’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500alighten
  3. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

verb To alight, to dismount or get down from.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Middle English alighten / alighten

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