lichten

lichten¹ to give light

Pronunciation

• /ˈlɪx.tən/^[1]

Forms

lichten^[1]

Etymology

The verb for giving light is inherited from Middle Dutch lichten, inherited from Old Dutch liehten, inherited from Proto-Germanic *leuht-jan- (“to give light, shine”), a derivative of *leuh-ta- (“light”), the source of the noun licht.^[2][3] Wiktionary has an intermediate stage Proto-West Germanic *leuhtōn.^[1] The same verb is Old Saxon liuhtian, Old High German liuhten (modern German leuchten), Old English līehtan (modern English light) and Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (liuhtjan, “to shine”).^[2][4][5] The root is Proto-Indo-European *leuk- (“bright; to shine”), also found in Latin lūx (“light”) and Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”).^[2]

Before the /j/ of the suffix, the Germanic diphthong became West Germanic /iu/, Old Dutch /ū/ and Middle Dutch short /u/ before ⟨cht⟩, so the regular form was ⟨luchten⟩, as in the Old Dutch prefixed verb ālūhten (“to light up”).^[2][3] The vowel of ⟨lichten⟩ comes from the noun ⟨licht⟩; the ONW sees this adjustment already in Old Dutch ⟨liehten⟩, which it analyses as made from lieht (“light”).^[2][3][4] Middle Dutch still had both forms (luchten), until ⟨lichten⟩ displaced ⟨luchten⟩ in the standard language; the /u/ lives on in West Flemish and in luchter, verluchten and doorluchtig.^[2][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The simple verb is first recorded around 1100 in the Egmond Willeram, as liughtent “(they) shine”: those who love God burn in their hearts and shine outwardly through their deeds.^[3][2] Prefixed forms are older: the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms have āluhti “give light!” and irliohte, in a prayer that God's face may shine on us.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used the verb for anything that gives light or shines: a burning flame, the moon and stars (1301), the light of the faithful in a spiritual sense (1350), and the day growing light (1351), also impersonally.^[6] The form luogt “lights up” is found in 1270–1290 and lichten itself in 1285.^[2]

In the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal the main senses are to give or spread light, as a lantern hung out at night (1566); of the day, to break (1600); of lightning, to flash, usually impersonal het licht (1827); and to shed light in a place.^[7] The 19th century applied it to the glow of the sea caused by small animals and plants (1855, 1858) and to shining eyes (1841).^[7] Modern Dutch keeps “to give light” and “to dawn”.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Old Dutch liughtent “they shine” is recorded in the Egmond Willeram.^[3][2]
• 1270–1290 – The Middle Dutch form luogt “lights up” appears.^[2]
• 1285 – The form lichten is first recorded.^[2]
• 1301 – The verb is used of the moon and stars.^[6]
• 1351 – It is used of days growing light.^[6]
• 1566 – A lantern that gives light is called lichtende.^[7]
• 1600 – Lichten is used of the day breaking.^[7]
• 1827 – It is used of lightning.^[7]
• 1855 – It is used of the glow of small sea creatures.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give light, to shine.^[8][1][7]
2. To dawn, to grow light.^[8][9][7]
3. (impersonal) To flash with lightning.^[9][7]

Word family

• inlichten
• voorlichten
• bijlichten
• luchter
• verluchten

lichten² to lift

Pronunciation

• /ˈlɪx.tən/^[1]

Forms

lichten^[1]

Etymology

The verb for lifting is inherited from Middle Dutch lichten, inherited from Old Dutch *līhten, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lį̄htijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *linhtijaną (“to make light”), made from the adjective *linhtaz (“light”) that gave licht “not heavy”.^[1][2][10] The same verb is Middle Low German lichten (the source of modern German lichten, used of anchors), Old High German gilīhten (“to lighten”), Old Frisian līchta, Old English līehtan (“to make lighter”) (modern English lighten) and Old Norse létta (“to lighten, to lift”).^[2][4][11] The adjective goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“light”), the root of Latin levis (“light”) and Lithuanian leñgvas (“light”).^[2]

For the step from “to make lighter” to “to lift”, Van Veen and Franck–Van Wijk compare French lever, from Latin levō (“to raise”), made from the same Latin adjective.^[12][11][13] The Middle Dutch dictionary of Verwijs and Verdam held that the verb merged with another one made from lucht (compare Middle High German lüften and English lift), while granting that a verb from ⟨licht⟩ could mean “to lift” by itself.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch lichten is first recorded in 1236 in Ghent, in a text asking that God may lighten and shorten the pains of the dead.^[10][2][14] Old Dutch shows the verb only in the compound licht skip (1177), a boat into which part of a larger ship's cargo was moved so that it drew less water.^[2] The sense “to lift” follows in a West Flemish text of 1287: hi licht sijn been “he lifts his leg”.^[10][2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the verb meant to make lighter in weight, said of measures (1475), of coins clipped below their weight (1393) and of ships unloaded into a smaller vessel; that vessel was the lichtscip or lichtscute, today's lichter.^[6] A Dordrecht account of 1286 already charges for lichten, moving cargo from a ship into a barge.^[10] It also meant to relieve or ease a burden, and to raise or lift.^[6][10]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal calls “to make lighter” little used by 1917, and gives “to lift, to raise” as the common sense, especially in technical language (1639).^[7] Phrases followed: de voet lichten “to leave, to run off” (1618) and iemand de voet lichten “to trip someone up, to make him lose his position” (1633).^[7] Het anker lichten was meant literally in the Middle Ages and figuratively, “to leave”, from the 17th century; the anchor sense was also Low German (at Emden in the 15th century) and passed from there into German.^[2][15][4] In 1998 prisoners in Amsterdam used gelicht worden for being fetched from the cell for questioning.^[16][17]

The verb was borrowed into German lichten, Danish lægte, Swedish (obsolete) lykta, Polish lichtować and Papiamentu lektu, and Finnish letata came through Swedish.^[18]

Timeline

• 1236 – Middle Dutch lichten “to lighten (pain)” is first recorded, in Ghent.^[10][14]
• 1286 – Lichten, unloading cargo into a barge, is charged for in Dordrecht.^[10]
• 1287 – Hi licht sijn been “he lifts his leg” is recorded in West Flanders.^[10][2]
• 1393 – The verb is used of coins made lighter.^[6]
• 1618 – De voet lichten “to run off” is recorded.^[7]
• 1633 – Iemand de voet lichten “to bring someone down” is recorded.^[7]
• 1681 – Ik ligte mijn anker “I weigh my anchor” is recorded for “I left”.^[15][19]
• 1998 – Gelicht worden “to be fetched for questioning” is recorded in prison slang.^[16]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lift, to raise.^[8][1][7]
2. To remove or take away from a place.^[8]
3. To empty (a letterbox, a fish trap).^[8][1][9]
4. To levy or call up (soldiers).^[8]
5. To raise (a sunken ship).^[9]
6. (dated) To make lighter.^[7][9]

Word family

• lichter
• lichting
• buslichting
• oplichten
• uitlichten
• ladelichter
• lichtschip