lightful en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- lītʹfo͝ol
Etymology
From Middle English lightful, lihtful (“luminous, providing enlightenment”), from light, liht (noun) + -ful (“full of (a feeling)”, suffix forming adjectives). See more at light (noun).
Meanings
-
(poetic) Full of light; bright.
His lightfull Lamp reflected on my head, / Whereby I walkt through Darkneſs
a. 1619 (date written), [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “A Divine and True Tragi-comedy; Iob Triumphant in His Triall: Or The Historie of His Heroicall Patience. In a Measured Metaphrase. The Third Book..”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes […], London: […] Robert Young, published 1633, →OCLC, page 470:[The door] had a gloomy and surly aspect, but the hall within was lightful and airy
1889, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, Micah Clarke: […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co […], →OCLC, page 164:formlesse eyes doe faile / To see the sun, though brought to lightfull land.
a. 1599 (date written), Mary Sidney, “Psalm LVIII”, in The Psalmes of David […], London: From the Chiswick Press by C[harles] Whittingham, for Robert Triphook, […], published 1823, →OCLC, page 101:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more lightful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most lightful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |