lightening
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
Verb edit
lightening
- present participle and gerund of lighten
Noun edit
lightening (plural lightenings)
- The act or result of making something light or lighter.
- 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 134:
- Bradly did not think of Cora till he picked up her figure ahead of him on the downs, but with that he was aware of a sudden lightening of his spirits, and stepped out faster to overtake her.
- (medicine) The sensation caused by the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity before the onset of labour
- (nautical) The removal of cargo (especially crude oil) from a vessel in order to reduce its draft
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
lightening
- (obsolete or proscribed) Alternative form of lightning
Usage notes edit
Regarded as a misspelling by all modern authorities.