lightning
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lightning
a brilliant electric discharge in the sky: The dark sky was pierced by lightning.
Not to be confused with:
lightening – becoming lighter or brighter: The sky began lightening as the storm passed.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
light·ning
(līt′nĭng)n.
1.
a. An abrupt, discontinuous natural electric discharge in the atmosphere.
b. The visible flash of light accompanying such a discharge.
2. Informal A sudden, usually improbable stroke of fortune.
intr.v. light·ninged (-nĭngd), light·ning, light·nings
To discharge a flash of lightning.
adj.
Moving or occurring with remarkable speed or suddenness.
[Middle English, gerund of lightnen, to illuminate, from lighten, from Old English līhtan; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
lightning
(ˈlaɪtnɪŋ)n
1. (Physical Geography) a flash of light in the sky, occurring during a thunderstorm and caused by a discharge of electricity, either between clouds or between a cloud and the earth.
2. (modifier) fast and sudden: a lightning raid.
[C14: variant of lightening]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
light•ning
(ˈlaɪt nɪŋ)n., v. -ninged, -ning,
adj. n.
1. a brilliant electric spark discharge in the atmosphere, occurring within or between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.
v.i. 2. to emit flashes of lightning (often used impersonally with it as subject): Go inside if it starts to lightning.
adj. 3. of, pertaining to, or resembling lightning, esp. in regard to speed: lightning flashes.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
light·ning
(līt′nĭng) A flash of light in the sky caused by an electrical discharge between clouds or between a cloud and the Earth's surface. The flash heats the air and usually causes thunder. Lightning may appear as a jagged streak, a bright sheet, or, in rare cases, a glowing red ball.
Did You Know? The energy within a bolt of lightning is so great that it heats the air around it to temperatures up to five times greater than that of the surface of the sun, or 55,000°F (30,000°C). The rapid expansion of this superheated air is what creates the sounds we call thunder. The sounds travel to us more slowly than the light from lightning, so it is possible to estimate how far away a lightning strike is by timing the gap between when you see the lightning and when you hear the thunder it has produced. Count the seconds from when you see the flash until you hear the thunder, and divide this number by five. The result will be the number of miles you are from the point of the strike.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
lightning
- nimbostratus cloud - Can drop precipitation but has no lightning or thunder.
- artillery - A poetic term for thunder and lightning.
- coup de foudre - A sudden unforeseen event or instantaneous and overwhelming passion, such as love at first sight; it is French, literally, "stroke of lightning."
- lightning - Etymologically, lightning is simply something that illuminates or "lightens" the sky, a contraction of the earlier "lightening."
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lightning
an abnormal fear of lightning.
the recording of occurrences of lightning and thunder on a time scale attached to a revolving drum. — keraunograph, n. — keraunographic, adj.
an abnormal fear of thunder and lightning.
a form of divination involving thunder and lightning.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | lightning - abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light chain lightning, forked lightning - a form of lightning that moves rapidly in a zigzag path with one end divided (fork-like) atmospheric electricity - electrical discharges in the atmosphere |
2. | lightning - the flash of light that accompanies an electric discharge in the atmosphere (or something resembling such a flash); can scintillate for a second or more flash - a sudden intense burst of radiant energy heat lightning - bright flashes of light near the horizon without thunder (especially on hot evenings); usually attributed to distant lightning that is reflected by clouds sheet lighting - lightning that appears as a broad sheet; due to reflections of more distant lightning and to diffusion by the clouds |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
lightning
nounCollins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
بَرْقبَرْقٌ
мълниясветкавица
blesk
lyn
fulmo
salamasalamanisku
munja
villámvillámlás
elding
雷
번개
fulgur
žaibas
zibens
bleskhrom
strela
blixt
สายฟ้าแลบ
блискавка
chớp
lightning
[ˈlaɪtnɪŋ]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
lightning
[ˈlaɪtnɪŋ] n → foudre f
thunder and lightning → le tonnerre et la foudre
a flash of lightning → un éclair
Another flash of lightning lit up the cave → Un autre éclair illumina la grotte.
to be struck by lightning → être foudroyé(e)
One man died when he was struck by lightning → Un homme est mort foudroyé.
thunder and lightning → le tonnerre et la foudre
a flash of lightning → un éclair
Another flash of lightning lit up the cave → Un autre éclair illumina la grotte.
to be struck by lightning → être foudroyé(e)
One man died when he was struck by lightning → Un homme est mort foudroyé.
adj (= very quick) → fulgurant(e), éclair inv
Driving today demands lightning reflexes → Aujourd'hui, la conduite exige des réflexes fulgurants., Aujourd'hui, la conduite exige des réflexes éclair.
with lightning speed → à la vitesse de l'éclairlightning bug n (US) (= firefly) → luciole flightning conductor lightning rod (US) n → paratonnerre mlightning strike n (British) (= industrial action) → grève f éclairlight opera n → opérette flight pen n → crayon m optiquelight reading n → lecture f légère
Driving today demands lightning reflexes → Aujourd'hui, la conduite exige des réflexes fulgurants., Aujourd'hui, la conduite exige des réflexes éclair.
with lightning speed → à la vitesse de l'éclairlightning bug n (US) (= firefly) → luciole flightning conductor lightning rod (US) n → paratonnerre mlightning strike n (British) (= industrial action) → grève f éclairlight opera n → opérette flight pen n → crayon m optiquelight reading n → lecture f légère
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
lightning
n → Blitz m; a flash of lightning → ein Blitz m; (doing damage) → ein Blitzschlag m; struck by lightning → vom Blitz getroffen; what causes lightning? → wie entstehen Blitze?; we had some lightning an hour ago → vor einer Stunde hat es geblitzt; as quick as lightning, like (greased) lightning → wie der Blitz, wie ein geölter Blitz; lightning never strikes twice in the same place (lit, fig) → der Blitz schlägt nie zweimal am gleichen Ort ein
attr → blitzschnell, Blitz-; lightning attack → Überraschungs- or Blitzangriff m; lightning strike → spontaner Streik; with lightning speed → blitzschnell, mit Blitzesschnelle; lightning visit → Blitzbesuch m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
lightning
[ˈlaɪtnɪŋ] n → fulmine m, lampoa lot of lightning → molti lampi
as quick as lightning, like (greased) lightning (fam) → (veloce) come un fulmine, in un lampo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
lightning
(ˈlaitniŋ) noun a flash of electricity between clouds or from a cloud to earth during a storm, usually followed by thunder. The house was struck by lightning.
a flash of lightning (not lightening).
lightening is the present participle of lighten, to make or become lighter.
lightening is the present participle of lighten, to make or become lighter.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
lightning
→ بَرْقٌ blesk lyn Blitz αστραπή relámpago salama éclair munja fulmine 雷 번개 bliksem lyn błyskawica relâmpago молния blixt สายฟ้าแลบ şimşek chớp 闪电Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
lightning
n relámpagoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.