enlighten
verbattested in dialogue
- //ɪnˈlaɪtən//
- //ənˈlaɪtən//
- //ɛnˈlaɪtən//
To supply with light.
verb
- 1
To supply with light.
The sun enlightens the Earth.
- 2
figurativeTo make something clear to (someone); to give knowledge or understanding to.
She tried to enlighten them about the rules of the program, but they remained belligerently and self-righteously ignorant.
Care to enlighten me, if you think I'm so benighted?
There was a warning sulkiness in the manner of this speech, which admonished Mr Pecksniff that his dear friend was not to be trifled with or fenced off, and that he must either return a straight–forward reply to his question, or plainly give him to understand that he declined to enlighten him upon the subject to which it referred.
As your reviewer showed, the purpose of the translator and publishers is to help along the labor movement by furnishing a lesson from the past to enlighten the movement of to-day.
Etymology
Formerly also inlighten, from Middle English enlightenen, inlightnen, a hybrid formed from inlighten (“to enlighten, illuminate”), from Old English inlīhtan, onlīhtan, enlīhtan (“to enlighten, illuminate, give light to, give sight to”) and lightnen (“to enlighten, illuminate”) (equivalent to light + -en). Cognate with Dutch inlichten (“to enlighten, inform”), Old High German inliuhten (“to enlighten, illuminate”), Gothic 𐌹𐌽𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (inliuhtjan, “to enlighten, illuminate”). More at inlight, -en.
Forms
- past tense
- enlightened
- past participle
- enlightened
- present participle
- enlightening
- third person singular
- enlightens