Where does “lighten” come from?

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

Ancestry of “lighten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlīhtanto light; to alight
2Proto-Indo-Europeanlewḱ-lynx
3Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see

Words derived from “lighten”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- →Every word from Old English līhtan →