Etymologically
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sunlight

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sunneliht, from sunne (“sun”) and liht (“light”) (see sun and light).[2][3] Compare Dutch zonlicht and German Sonnenlicht.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The light of the sun: about 1200 (sonnelight) in Etymonline, about 1205 in the OED;[3][4] Merriam-Webster gives the 13th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

A figurative use, like sunshine, is from 1577.[4] The adjective sunlight, sunlit, is from 1818,[4] and a sun-burner, a cluster of gas jets, was called a sunlight in the 1860s.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1205 – the light of the sun.[4]
  • 1577 – figurative use.[4]
  • 1818 – sunlight (adjective), sunlit.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The light of the sun; sunshine.
  2. A place or time lit by the sun.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press