Where does “alight” come from?

alight (Middle English) comes from Old English ālīhted, from Old English ālīhtan, from Old English līhtan, from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European lewk- — bright; to shine; to see.

Ancestry of “alight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishālīhted—
2Old Englishālīhtanto light up, enlighten; to lighten, relieve,...
3Old Englishlīhtanto light; to alight
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlewḱ-lynx
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- →Every word from Old English līhtan →