lightnessn.1
/ˈlʌɪtnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈlaɪtnᵻs/ 1. † b. figurative and in figurative contexts. Brilliance, radiance, splendour; (with reference to a person's countenance, expression, etc.) vivacity, animation. Obsolete.In early use chiefly in religious contexts, often with the suggestion of physical radiance or brilliance.† c. Lightning. Obsolete.
a. Brightness, light; the quality or fact of giving out light. Also: †a flash or moment of light (obsolete). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [noun] > brightness
shinessc950
brightOE
gleamOE
lightnessOE
brightnessOE
brightheadc1300
glimc1400
lightsomeness1440
shinea1529
brightsomeness1548
lustrec1550
claritude1575
lightfulnessa1586
explendency1642
lucidness1648
lucidity1656
luculency1656
OE Assumption of Virgin (Corpus Cambr. 41) in H. L. C. Tristram Vier Altenglische Predigten aus der Heterodoxen Trad. (Ph.D. diss., Freiburg) (1970) 135 Seo beorhtnes oferswiðde æghwelces dæges hwitnesse and ælces leohtnesse.
c1330 Adam & Eve (Auch.) l. 528 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 145 Alle þe liȝtnisse was aleyd, Sonne & mone lorn her liȝt.
c1330 Roland & Vernagu (Auch.) (1882) l. 131 Þan decended a liȝtnesse, Doun riȝtes fram þe heuen blis.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 23684 (MED) [Þ]e sunn sal haue, þe scriptur sais, Þe lightnes þan of seuen days.
c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 91 The sunne..maketh his lightnesse passe thoruh the cloude.
1596 T. Lodge Margarite of Amer. sig. K4 I see a new sprung sunne..That spreads hir beams more faire, & shines more cheerly Then that cleere sun that glads the day with lightnes.
1652 tr. G. de Coste de La Calprenède Cleopatra i. i. 2 A great fire, which rising out of the water, seemed to hasten toward the heavens,..and the sparcles of it mounting with great impetuosity, seemed to dispute with the starres for lightnesse.
1934 N. Amer. Rev. Feb. 180/1 She saw a pale lightness through the bedroom curtain. He had lighted a candle to dress by.
1999 B. Brügge et al. in N. A. Streitz et al. Cooperative Buildings 115 A facility manager can group several lamps, adjust the lightness, and map them to a specific switch.
ΚΠ
OE Homily: Sermonem Angelorum Nomina (Corpus Cambr. 419) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 230 Ic aras on sunnandæg of deaðe, forðan þe se sunnandæg is restendæg and wuldorlic dæg and lihtnesse dæg.
c1390 W. Hilton Mixed Life (Vernon) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 288 [In heaven] þere is souereyne fairnes, liȝtnes, strengþe, freodam.
a1525 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 183 Exces..tynis all manere continens, voce, aynd, lichtnes & colour.
?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Ei We knowe selfely, the soueraygne lyghtnesse to be darked of a lyght cloude.
a1544 H. Latimer Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1322/2 They were vnapte to receyue the bryghte lyghtnes of the truthe.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet I. xiii. 308 His countenance..is now..rendered wild by an insane lightness about the eyes.
1915 Chambers's Jrnl. 8 May 362/2 A gleam of youth and lightness came into her face.
ΚΠ
a1400 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Pepys) (1961) 31 (MED) Out of þe throne com liȝtnesse and þondrynge.
a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) l. 343 (MED) Þou sal here mani thonor-blast..And þare sal cum slik slete and rayne..Of lightnes sal þou se a lowe.
2. Illumination; the condition or state of being illuminated; the quality of something (such as the sky, a room, etc.) being bathed in or full of light; (also) an instance of this. Also figurative: †enlightenment (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > [noun] > state of being light
lightnessOE
shadowlessness1881
shadelessness1894
nightlessness1897
OE St. Margaret (Tiber.) (1994) 128 Geunne me þæt þis wæter sy me to hælo and to lihtnesse [L. inluminatio salutis] and to fulwihtes bæþe.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1559 In ðat dred his ðogt was led In-to ligtnesse for to sen, Quow god wulde it sulde ben.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13543 To-quils i in þis werld be, It has na lightnes bot o me.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 56 (MED) God..The merknes namyd he to be nyȝt, And the lyghtnes to be day.
1591 F. Sparry tr. C. de Cattan Geomancie (1599) 29 By the lightnesse and darkenesse which shee receiueth of him.
1653 T. Barker Art of Angling 1 Thus must you goe to work with your Flies, light for darkness, and dark for lightness.
1718 G. J. Geogr. Epitomiz'd 143 The abundance of Snow which usually falls, during that season, adds to the Lightness of the Days.
1832 E. Bulwer-Lytton Eugene Aram II. ii. vii. 5 The first thing that struck Walter in this apartment, was its remarkable lightness.
1946 Southwestern Jrnl. Anthropol. 2 265 Lightness and darkness, sun, moon, and stars, temperatures, animal and floral behaviors were on schedule in the narrow diurnal round.
1985 J. Tanner Emerald Valley (U.S. ed.) xxviii. 490 Her first impression was of the lightness of the room compared with the rest of the house.
2002 M. Roper Gone 137 There's a perceptible lightness in the sky.
3. Paleness; the quality of being light in shade or colour; (with reference to colour) lack of depth or intensity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > state or mode of having colour > absence of colour > [noun] > paleness
bleachc1050
palenessc1350
wanness1382
pallorc1400
whiteness?c1425
palea1547
lightness1552
albescence1742
sickness1849
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Lyghtnes of coloure.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. ix. xxxviii. 259 The lightnesse or sadnesse of the one [colour] doth quicken and raise, or els dorr and take downe the colour of the other.
1758 R. Dossie Handmaid to Arts I. i. x. 315 Teints of all degrees of lightness may be produced.
1834 W. Lawrence Treat. Dis. Eye 18 The individuals of the German race are distinguished by the lightness of their hair, the fairness and ruddiness of their complexion, and by blue or light grey eyes.
1860 C. W. King Antique Gems i. 6 The Romans..divided gems into males and females, according to the depth or the lightness of their colour.
1984 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 12 Sept. a2/3 Some older ‘coloreds’..will identify more with whites against blacks, seeing a superiority in the relative lightness of their skin.
2004 Onomasiology Online 5 58 (note) Value signifies the admixture of white and black with a hue, thus its relative lightness or darkness (e.g. dark, pale).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
lightnessn.2
/ˈlʌɪtnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈlaɪtnᵻs/ 1.
a. The quality or fact of having little weight. With reference to a ship or other vessel: the fact of being lightly laden with cargo.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > lightness > [noun]
lightnessa1225
levity1598
levitation1739
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > trading vessel > cargo vessel > [noun] > fact of being lightly laden
lightness1667
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 83 Oli haueð huppen him lihtnesse and softnesse and hele.
?c1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Cambr. Ii.3.21) (1886) iii. pr. xi. 77 Wher-for elles berith Lythnesse the flaumbes vp, and the weyhte presseth the erthe a doun.
1590 Sir H. Lee in Archaeologia (1888) 51 171 A new brest [plate]..of gret litenes and strengthe.
1667 London Gaz. No. 140/1 A Holland Vessel..unable because of her lightness to bear sail.
1762 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. ii. x. 207 The lightness of it [sc. a plough], and particularly the shortness of those parts that go in the land..make it go very unsteadily.
1831 J. Sinclair Corr. II. 86 The different kinds of air, and the superior lightness by which some of them were distinguished.
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 194 The lightness of bows and arrows is convenient for running.
1924 Contemp. Rev. Jan. 95 The balsa tree, a wood which, from its extreme lightness, is specially suitable in the construction of aeroplanes.
1977 U.S. Code 1976 (ed. 9) V. 516/2 Unexplained lightness of vessel or discharge of cargo. If any vessel laden with cargo be found at any place in the United States or within customs waters..and such vessel afterwards is found light..and the master is unable to give a due account..the vessel shall be seized and forfeited.
2013 Eureka (Calif.) Times Standard (Nexis) 14 June (Lifestyle section) The piece has the look of porcelain. Yet when it is lifted, one is surprised by its lightness.
b. The quality or fact of bread, pastry, etc., having a fluffy or airy consistency.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > [noun] > lightness of bread
lightness1631
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > pastry > [noun] > article(s) made of > qualities of
lightness1631
flakiness1853
1631 Bp. T. Morton Of Inst. Sacrament i. ii. 7 Your Bread is of such extreame thinnesse and lightnesse, that it may seeme vnworthy the name of Bread.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 363 The use of yeast for the raising and fermenting of bread in these Northern Countries hath been very ancient. I find mention of it in Pliny,..who thereupon gives their bread the preeminence for lightness.
1836 Penny Cycl. V. 372/2 To give the bread..porous texture and lightness.
1864 H. B. Stowe House & Home Papers (1865) x. 112 The matter of lightness is the distinctive line between savage and civilized bread.
1910 Minnesota Farmers' Libr.: Extension Bull. No. 3. 17 It is upon the air beaten into the egg and its power to retain it that the lightness of the cake depends.
2017 Weekly Times (Austral.) (Nexis) 29 Mar. 57 An easy pastry, which includes yeast, giving it lightness and a lasting quality.
c. The fact or condition of a small quantity of a crop being present or produced; meagreness of yield.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > harvesting > [noun] > corn in sheaves > sheaf > specific quantity of
thrave963
wheat-threave1812
lightness1844
1785 W. Marshall Minutes in Rural Econ. Midland Counties (1790) II. 94 Notwithstanding the uncommon dryness of the season, and the unusual lightness of the hay crop in general,—this meadow is full of grass.
1844 J. R. Godley Lett. from Amer. I. iii. 42 It is long..before an English eye becomes reconciled to the lightness of the crops [in the United States].
1958 Econ. Bot. 12 287/1 Among the many factors contributing to the lightness, or diminution, or failures of the 1957 seed crop, the following appear important.
1999 M. Cooper Buyer's Guide New Zealand Wines 2000 17 It was an early, small harvest... Ward, of Morton Estate, attributed the lightness of the crop to low bunch weights.
2. Cheerfulness, high spirits, joy, mirth; freedom from sadness or worry. In later use also: breeziness, liveliness. Frequently in lightness of heart, lightness of spirit.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > joy, gladness, or delight > [noun]
merrinesseOE
gladnessc900
mirtheOE
playeOE
dreamOE
gladshipc975
lissOE
willOE
hightOE
blithenessc1000
gladc1000
winOE
blissc1175
delices?c1225
delight?c1225
joy?c1225
comfortc1230
listc1275
gladhead1303
daintyc1325
fainnessc1340
lightnessa1350
delectationc1384
delightingc1390
comfortationa1400
fainheada1400
blithec1400
fainc1400
delicacyc1405
gladsomeness1413
reveriea1425
joyousitiea1450
joyfulnessc1485
jucundity1536
joyousness1549
joc1560
delightfulness1565
jouissance1579
joyance1590
levitya1631
revelling1826
chuckle1837
joyancy1849
a song in one's heart1862
delightsomeness1866
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > [noun] > light-heartedness
lightnessa1350
light-heartedness1603
jauntiness1712
gaieté de cœur1728
sans souci1781
boyhood1829
sans-souci-ism1837
breeziness1885
gaydom1922
carefreeness1924
viscerotonia1980
happy-go-luckiness2008
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 66 God wes bore on þoro lay, ant brohte vs lyhtnesse.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) iv. 7 Þou ȝaf liȝtnes [L. lætitiam] in my hert.
a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) l. 1244 (MED) Myn hert is al nakid of lightnesse.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Riiiv And this lyghtnesse or myrthe maye come somtyme of the clerenes of mannes conscience.
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 55 They signifie Quarrels picked out of lightness of heart.
1828 R. Nesbit in Mem. (1858) iii. 83 I am able to pursue my proper work with my usual lightness of spirit.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. v. 73 He really hardly knew what to do to give vent to his lightness of heart.
1954 E. Hargreaves Handful of Silver xii. 183 ‘I've made a real pig's ear of it, haven't I?’ said Basil, with an attempt at lightness.
1976 G. Jones tr. D. J. Williams in A. Richards Penguin Bk. Welsh Short Stories 123 She was conscious somehow of a marvellous sense of well-being, a lightness of spirit, without the smallest regret for anything she had ever done.
2017 K. Shamsie Home Fire ii. 51 There was a lightness inside her, entirely new, that made the whole world rearrange itself into a place of undreamt-of possibilities.
3. The quality of moving lightly; agility, nimbleness, swiftness. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > bodily movement > [noun] > qualities of bodily movement > agility or nimbleness
lightnessc1350
delivernessa1382
sleightc1385
deliverancec1410
agility?a1475
deliverhead1493
nimblenessa1500
quiverness?1548
delivery1590
legerity1590
nimbless1596
levity1607
agileness1653
airiness1731
spryness1865
nippiness1916
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > [noun] > brisk
lightnessc1350
quiverness?1548
smartness1644
brisknessa1655
zippiness1907
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xvii. 12 He mounted vp cherubyn, & fleȝe; he fleȝe vp þe liȝtnesse [c1400 Trin. Dublin aboue þe feders or þe swyftnes; L. pennas] of þe wyndes.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. lvii. 273 Somme boones ben..holouȝ for more liȝtnes of meuynge.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 198 To shewe his lightnesse and maistrye He pleyeth Herodes vp on a Scaffold hye.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1018 (MED) He couet..in all myrthes þe mastry: In rynnyng, lepyng, wyrstelyng, Or lyghtnes of othir playing.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 239/1 Lightnesse of understandinge, facilité d'entendre.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. xxxiv. 304 All these beasts for their lightnesse..have passed from one world to an other.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. v. 94 The easy elegance of his [sc. the stag's] form, the lightness of his motions..rank him among the first of quadrupedes.
1858 J. Brown Rab in Horæ Subsecivæ 1st Ser. 308 Rab..trotted up the stair with much lightness.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 187 The contemplation of the brightening east..seemed to lend lightness to our muscles.
1934 A. Stokes Classical Ballet in R. Copeland & M. Cohen What is Dance? (1983) iv. 246 Outside of ballet there is no true allegro in dancing, no fast travels that are executed with the utmost lightness and ease.
2010 Observer 3 Jan. 7/1 Dressage should be about lightness, freedom of movement and a partnership between horse and rider.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > state of being consoled or relieved > [noun]
comfort1340
lightness1357
consolationc1374
reliefa1393
J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 332 In lightenes and alegeaunce of their sekenesse.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 24480 Her-wit come me son succur And sum lightnes o mi langur.
c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1897) 12 75 (MED) He..made dyuers lays..and in thes thinges at sume tyme he toke myche of his comforthe, and lyghtnes of his straunge thoghtes.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 92 (MED) It [sc. a nosebleed] is good whanne it [sc. the blood] goiþ out wiþ alleuiacioun or liȝtnesse of þe pacient.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > [noun]
lightnessa1382
easiness1398
lightsomeness?a1425
facility1531
readiness1579
easea1616
glibnessa1640
smoothness1893
a1382 Prefatory Epist. St. Jerome in Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) vi. l. 21 Oþer lernen of wymmen..&..with a maner liȝtnes [L. facilitate] of wordeȝ..schewen oute to oþer: þat þey vnderstonden not.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 27735 Lightness o rage.
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) f. 175v (MED) Þe causes of ham [sc. soft plasters] ben liȝtenesse [L. leuitas] of arrayenge and þe profitablenesse of symple medecynes.
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Gal. iii. f. viiiv I..blame your lightenes to beleue, & easynes to be persuaded.
1572 R. Harrison tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes ii. xii. 152 Often times these men, through their too muche lightnesse of beleefe, fall into great daungers.
1620 T. Venner Via Recta iii. 63 Linnets are both for lightnesse of digestion, and goodnesse of meate better then Sparrowes.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela (ed. 2) I. Introd. p. xxiv Note with what Lightness even Men of good-natur'd Intention fall into Mistakes.
6. † b. Lustfulness, lasciviousness, unchasteness; promiscuous sexual behaviour. Obsolete.
a. Levity in behaviour or manner; fickleness, inconstancy, frivolity; thoughtlessness, carelessness, indifference; lack of seriousness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > mental wandering > light-mindedness > [noun]
lightnessc1384
levity1564
gaiety1573
light-mindedness?1574
shallowness1590
toyishness1595
lightheadedness1645
ludicrousness1664
unseriousness1672
flightiness1747
flirtishness1750
trivial-mindedness1872
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun] > capriciousness
giddinessa1290
lightnessc1384
gerishnessa1513
fantasticnessc1550
unstaidnessa1557
fantasticalness1583
triflingnessa1586
spleen1598
capriciousness1607
skittishness1607
humorousness1611
wavinga1628
volageness1633
arbitrariness1643
garishness1649
legerity1652
mercury1653
volatility1655
caprich1656
humoursomeness1662
hoity-toity1668
jollity1670
unaccountableness1676
freak1678
whimsya1680
featheriness1689
toysomeness1697
caprice1711
whimsicalness1715
flirtation1718
whima1721
flightiness1747
whimsicality1761
giggishness1781
fancifulness1818
hoity-toityness1820
whifflery1835
crotchetiness1837
quirkiness1870
faddishness1884
faddism1885
vagarity1886
erraticism1889
whimsiness1909
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. i. 17 I vside liȝtnesse [a1425 L.V. vnstidfastnesse; L. levitate], or tho thingis that I thenke.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 308 Lightnes of hert reves þam drede.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 344 Forto forsake God in a liȝtnes and in a rechelesnes.
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 33 This chaunge will..double thy lightnesse in turning so often.
1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation: 1st Pt. 424 Imputing this insurrection..to their folly and lightness.
1761 Ann. Reg. 1760 52 The general lightness of his faith with regard to his former allies.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth vii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 174 My Catharine hath not by any lightness or folly of hers afforded grounds for this great scandal.
1887 E. J. Goodman Too Curious iii The lightness of tone with which I uttered such serious words.
1963 N. Lofts House at Sunset (1973) vi. 294 His mishap was treated with what he considered inappropriate lightness and several jokes were made about his being ‘accident-prone’.
2004 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 21 May (Late ed.) a3 16 Drug companies, though, have carried a greater responsibility that..has been taken with almost cavalier lightness.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > [noun]
goleshipc1000
golenessa1050
kaggerleȝcc1175
untowenshipa1250
follyc1300
wantonnessc1390
ragerya1393
nicetya1400
wantonhead1435
lightnessa1450
gole?a1500
free will?1518
nicenessa1533
looseness1576
licentiousness1586
waggishness1591
libertinage1611
libertinism1611
licence1713
fastness1859
permissiveness1946
a1450 (a1401) Chastising of God's Children (Bodl.) (1957) 212 Also if þis passion..comyth of þe liȝtnesse of fleisshe, it is nedeful þanne to tempre it wiþ wakyng or fastynge..and wiþ sharpe werynges and harde.
c1475 Mirroure of the Worlde (Bodl. 283) (2003) l. 850 Symple fornicacion..if it were grantid, alle the worlde sholde sprede into the lightnes of the flesshe, for ȝif one drowe not a womman to fornicacion anothir wolde.
1516 Lyfe St. Birgette in Kalendre Newe Legende Eng. (Pynson) f. cxxi She somwhat suspectynge the lyghtnesse of the virgyn commaundyd a rod to be brought vnto hir.
1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII c. 21 If they..perceive any wil acte or condicion of lightnes of bodie in hir, which for the time being shall be queene of this realme.
1652 C. B. Stapylton tr. Herodian Imperiall Hist. iii. 18 With him of lightnesse she was much suspected.
7.
a. Absence of heaviness or pressure in action or movement; lack of force, momentum, or violence; gentleness. Also figurative, esp. in lightness of touch at Phrases.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > [noun]
neshnesseOE
measurea1393
temperateness1398
lightness?a1425
moderation?a1425
cool1562
mildness1605
weakness1707
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 91 (MED) Shafe it [sc. flesh] with liȝtnez or faculte [?c1425 Paris liȝtliche; L. cum facilitate] vnto þer lefe not of it any þing.
1677 J. Phillips tr. J.-B. Tavernier Persian Trav. v. xiv. 237 in tr. J.-B. Tavernier Six Voy. (1678) Their Barbers are very neat, and surpass ours for lightness of hand; for a man can hardly feel their Rasors.
1795 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) II. 15 From the lightness of the air of wind, the Enemy's Fleet and our Fleet were a very long time in passing.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. ii. 48 Lightness of hand consists in an almost imperceptible feeling and alternate easing of the bridle.
1910 F. Thompson Renegade Poet viii. 184 They are handled with a lightness, a deftness, which naturalises this alien and unnatural form as few of its English devotees have succeeded in doing.
1913 H. Speed Pract. & Sci. of Drawing xx. 276 The delicacy and lightness with which it [sc. charcoal] has to be handled is also much more like the handling of a brush than any other point drawing.
1980 I. Dear America's Cup iv. 52/1 Despite the lightness of the wind at the start, both boats got away excellently.
2005 G. Soto Help Wanted 75 She had called Uncle Andy for tips on putting. He kept repeating that the lightness of grip was all-important.
b. Leniency, mildness; lack of severity; easiness to bear.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of strictness > [noun] > leniency
neshc1175
moderation?a1425
favourc1460
easiness1483
favourableness1545
lightness1611
grace1660
leniency1780
lenience1796
1611 J. Barclay tr. W. Barclay Treat. Temporall Power Pope xxxvi. 203 in R. Sheldon Cert. Reasons Lawfulnesse Oath Allegiance By the kind of the vltion, and grieeousnesse [sic] or lightnes of the punishment, we iudge of the hainousnesse of the offence.
1712 ‘Dissenter in Country’ Enq. Present Duty Low-church-man 12 How do many other Sins..appear by the lightness of their several Punishments to be small and inconsiderable, nay almost innocent Things in comparison of it.
1754 W. Warburton View Bolingbroke's Philos.: Lett. 1st & 2nd i. 24 The charge is too serious to be passed over with the same lightness I am disposed to treat the rest of his Lordship's foul Language.
1853 Newcastle Guardian 10 Dec. 5/3 The public are in no humour to treat with lightness and leniency the offences of the Master of these men—the Autocrat of all the Russias.
1893 Law Times 94 600/2 The tax falls with..undue severity upon one class, and with unreasonable lightness upon others.
2016 Peterborough (Ont.) This Week (Nexis) 9 Apr. (Opinion section) 1 Given the lightness of the sentence, contrasted to the severity of the crimes, I doubt the deterrent factor seriously applies in this instance.
8.
a. With reference to food or a meal: the quality of being small and easily digestible; lack of richness or heaviness.
ΚΠ
1690 W. Temple Ess. Gardens of Epicurus 21 in Miscellanea: 2nd Pt. The Verdure of Plants, the Cleanness and Lightness of Food, the Exercises of working or walking, but above all, the Exemption from Cares and Sollicitude, seem equally to favour and improve, both Contemplation and Health, the Enjoyments of Sense and Imagination, and thereby the Quiet and Ease both of the Body and Mind.
1851 M. C. Clarke Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines (1974) I. iii. 184 Another merit presented by the simple lightness of the meal of which they had just partaken, was, that it offered no impediment to the resumption of dancing as soon as they pleased.
1985 Gourmet Dec. 152/3 One can choose a dish just on the border between lightness and richness: pettini del Savoia, sea scallops in a smooth velouté sauce with fresh spinach and basil.
1999 J. Burnett Liquid Pleasures v. 95 A change that originated in Italy and France and involved the rejection of heavy, Baroque meals in favour of lightness and moderation.
b. Delicacy, subtlety, or freshness of flavour, aroma, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > savouriness > [noun]
delicacya1393
savourinessa1398
deliciousnessa1450
delicateness?1529
daintiness1552
toothsomeness1612
piquantness1648
palatableness1721
tastefulness1727
fumet1735
lightness1799
palatability1850
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant quality
sweetnessc900
sootnessc1000
redolence1447
suavityc1450
fragrancy1578
sweet1594
odoriferousness1599
fragrantness1600
muskiness1727
aromaticness1731
balsamicness1737
lightness1799
1799 W. Sandford Pract. Remarks Wine & Spirits 124 The water..has no longer the same lightness or relish.
1852 Bentley's Misc. 32 519 Who does not prefer..a sort of freshness or exhilarating lightness, and clearness of flavour, to the sweetness and heaviness of the stuff our worthy caterers would send us?
1960 S. Arctander Perfume & Flavor Materials of Nat. Origin 605 The most typical feature of the fragrance of lathyrus is its suave lightness.
2010 Guardian (Nexis) 13 Nov. (Mag.) 12 The mint brings a fresh lightness to the soup.
9. Of form or outline: freedom from heaviness or clumsiness, graceful slenderness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > beauty of shape or form > [noun] > gracefulness of form
lightness1722
1722 J. Richardson Acct. Statues Italy 56 It [sc. a statue] has such a Beauty, and Delicacy; such a Lightness; 'tis such a Leggiadra Figure, that by it the other two Venus's look Robust.
1808 W. Scott Misc. Prose Wks. (1870) IV. 35 She had lost much of the lightness of her figure.
1837 Penny Cycl. VII. 218/1 In them we observe a progressive change from heaviness to lightness—from columns less than four diameters in height to those of nearly seven.
1885 Truth 28 May 848/2 The spray is rendered with much lightness and delicacy.
1934 Amer. Home July 77/1 The openwork border, suggestive of lace in its delicacy, curves gracefully back from the floor of the tray and with its lightness and daintiness forms a perfect frame for the floral decorations.
2007 Daily Tel. 23 Oct. 28/4 Each slender figure is in itself the quintessence of Sienese lightness and elegance.
10. With reference to sound, a voice, etc.: the quality of being clear, bright, and (often) high-pitched; a lack of depth or resonance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [noun]
flatness1626
lightness1817
irresonance1880
anti-resonance1923
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > pleasantness of sound > [noun] > purity and clearness
lightness1817
liquidity1817
liquidness1839
1817 tr. ‘L. A. C. Bombet’ Life of Haydn xviii, in Life of Haydn & Life of Mozart 230 Although 377 stringed instruments accompanied the single voice, such was the lightness of the effect, that they did not overpower, or incommode it.
1973 Gramophone Jan. 1293 (advt.) Engineers have come up with a High Velocity Stereophone that offers..unusual lightness and hear-through characteristics.
2003 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 May ii. 27/2 For all the vibrant power of her voice, she has been determined to retain its lightness and lyricism, especially in the upper register, where many powerhouse sopranos resort to chesty belting.
Phrases
lightness of touch: deftness or skilfulness of execution; freedom from heavy-handedness; subtlety, tactfulness, understatedness. [Originally after French légèreté de la touche (1737 or earlier).]
ΚΠ
1754 J. B. tr. A.-J. Dézallier d’Argenville Lives Eminent Mod. Painters 82 They admired the easy boldness of his pictures, and the freedom and lightness of touch that appeared through the whole.
1885 Spectator 30 May 704/2 The lightness of touch that so charmingly characterises the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
1939 D. Daiches Novel & Mod. World (1948) x. 186 Mrs. Woolf has not been able to come back into serious fiction and to bring with her that lightness of touch and delicacy of treatment that distinguished her middle novels.
1954 L.-J. Suenens Edel Quinn ix. 84 She treated the whole situation with that lightness of touch and that infectious good humour which can ameliorate every problem.
1992 City Limits 2 July 59/3 The well-structured story is kept buoyant by pacy direction sustained by a lightness of touch and by the performers' deft handling of some very dense language.
2006 fRoots Mar. 28 His music..has a lightness of touch not heard in the playing of any of the delta bluesmen with whom he is often compared.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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