LIGHTEN
relieve, lighten
(verb) alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive; “relieve the pressure and the stress”; “lighten the burden of caring for her elderly parents”
lighten, lighten up
(verb) become lighter; “The room lightened up”
brighten, lighten up, lighten
(verb) make more cheerful through the use of color; “The paint will brighten the room”
lighten, lighten up, buoy up
(verb) become more cheerful; “after a glass of wine, he lightened up a bit”
lighten
(verb) reduce the weight on; make lighter; “she lightened the load on the tired donkey”
lighten, lighten up, buoy up
(verb) make more cheerful; “the conversation lightened me up a bit”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Verb
lighten (third-person singular simple present lightens, present participle lightening, simple past and past participle lightened)
(transitive) To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.
(intransitive) To become brighter or clearer; to brighten.
(intransitive, archaic) To burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with, or like, lightning; to flash.
(transitive) To emit or disclose in, or as if in, lightning; to flash out, like lightning.
To illuminate with knowledge; to enlighten.
Etymology 2
Verb
lighten (third-person singular simple present lightens, present participle lightening, simple past and past participle lightened)
(transitive) To alleviate; to reduce the burden of.
(transitive) To make light or lighter in weight.
(transitive) To make less serious or more cheerful.
(intransitive) To become light or lighter in weight.
(intransitive) To become less serious or more cheerful.
Etymology 3
Verb
lighten (third-person singular simple present lightens, present participle lightening, simple past and past participle lightened)
To descend; to light.
• Book of Common Prayer
Anagrams
• enlight, lething
Source: Wiktionary
Light"en, v. i. Etym: [See Light to alight.]
Definition: To descend; to light.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us. Book of Common Prayer [Eng.
Ed.]
Light"en, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lightened; p. pr. & vb. n. Lightening.]
Etym: [OE. lightenen. See Light to kindle, illuminate.]
1. To burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with, or like,
lightning; to display a flash or flashes of lightning; to flash.
This dreadful night, That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
As doth the lion. Shak.
2. To grow lighter; to become less dark or lowering; to brighten; to
clear, as the sky.
Light"en, v. t. Etym: [See Light to illuminate.]
1. To make light or clear; to light; to illuminate; as, to lighten an
apartment with lamps or gas; to lighten the streets. [In this sense
less common than light.]
A key of fire ran all along the shore, And lightened all the river
with a blaze. Dryden.
2. To illuminate with knowledge; to enlighten. [In this sense less
common than enlighten.]
Lighten my spirit with one clear heavenly ray. Sir J. Davies.
3. To emit or disclose in, or as in, lightning; to flash out, like
lightning.
His eye . . . lightens forth Controlling majesty. Shak.
4. To free from trouble and fill with joy.
They looked unto him, were lightened. Ps. xxxiv. 5.
Light"en, v. t. Etym: [See Light not heavy.]
1. To make lighter, or less heavy; to reduce in weight; to relieve of
part of a load or burden; as, to lighten a ship by unloading; to
lighten a load or burden.
2. To make less burdensome or afflictive; to alleviate; as, to
lighten the cares of life or the burden of grief.
3. To cheer; to exhilarate.
Lighens my humor with his merry jests. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition