Etymology

lighten

L1I1G2H4T1E1N1

Today it means: To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate. Full definition →

Middle English lightnen
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lighten · verb1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromlightnen
  2. English todaylighten

From Middle English lightnen, equivalent to light + -en.

lighten · verb2

  1. Middle English · inherited fromlightnen
  2. English todaylighten

From Middle English lightnen, equivalent to light + -en.

lighten · verb3

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁lengʷʰ-
  2. Proto-Germanic*linhtaz
  3. Proto-Germanic*linhtijaną
  4. Proto-West Germanic*lį̄htijan
  5. Old Englishlīehtan
  6. Middle Englishlighten
  7. Englishlight
  8. English todaylighten

From light + -en.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.