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/ˈæl.aɪ.tɪd/
🇺🇸
/ˈæl.aɪ.tɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈæl.aɪ.tɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈæl.aɪ.tɪd/
Past Tense
alighted
Past Participle
alighted
Gerund
alighting
3rd Person
alights
Alighted is the past tense and past participle of 'alight', meaning to land or get down after traveling — especially in a gentle, deliberate, or graceful way, often from a vehicle or while flying. Think of a bird settling onto a wire or a passenger stepping off a train: it’s not just stopping — it’s arriving and coming to rest with intention.
A hummingbird alighted on the red flower and hovered for several seconds.
She alighted from the taxi and hurried into the rain.
The knight alighted before the castle gates and removed his helmet.
Several passengers alighted at the next station while others boarded.
He alighted on a surprising conclusion after reviewing all the evidence.
light
Comes from Old English 'lihtan' (to make light, illuminate) and earlier Germanic *leuht-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leuk- ('to shine, be bright'). In 'alight', the root evolved semantically to mean 'to descend and settle' — likely via the metaphorical sense of 'coming to rest like a light object settling gently', reinforced by the prefix 'a-'. Examples include light (v.), delight, alight, lightning, illuminate.
a-
Comes from Old English prefix 'ā-' (also spelled 'a-'), meaning 'on, in, at, or towards', often indicating motion, state, or completion. It is cognate with Greek 'a-' (un-) only in form; here it functions as an intensifying or directional prefix. Examples include arise, awake, await, aback, and alight.