forlighten

Meanings

verbforlighten (third-person singular simple present forlightens, present participle forlightening, simple past and past participle forlightened)

present singular third person forlightens · participle present forlightening · participle past forlightened · past forlightened

archaictransitiveTo decrease; reduce; diminish; lighten; lighten up.
For to forlighten with his sheen / Those sitting sad, in darkest blindness, / In death's cold shade.
1892, William Shepard Walsh, Handy-book of literary curiosities

From for- + lighten, but also continuing (in altered form) earlier forlyten (“to diminish”), from for- + lite + -en.

Cite this entry

APA

forlighten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forlighten

MLA

“forlighten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forlighten. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forlighten,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forlighten.