LIGHTED UPON Meaning and
Definition
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"Lighted upon" is a phrasal verb that refers to the act of coming across or making a chance discovery of something, often unexpectedly or accidentally. It involves stumbling upon or finding something by chance, as if a light were shining on it, making it noticeable or apparent. This phrase implies a sense of luck or fortuitousness in encountering or finding something.
This expression can be used both literally and figuratively. On a literal level, it can describe physically stumbling across or discovering something that was previously hidden or unnoticed. For example, one might say, "While hiking through the forest, I lighted upon a hidden waterfall." In this case, the speaker unexpectedly came across a waterfall that was previously unknown or concealed.
On a figurative level, "lighted upon" can describe stumbling upon or discovering an idea, a solution, or a piece of information. For instance, someone might say, "During my research, I lighted upon a fascinating article about ancient civilizations." Here, the speaker unexpectedly found an intriguing article while conducting their research, without initially intending or expecting to find such a valuable resource.
In essence, "lighted upon" conveys the sense of chance discovery and happenstance, suggesting that the encountered thing or idea was stumbled upon accidentally, rather than deliberately sought out.
Common Misspellings for LIGHTED UPON
- kighted upon
- pighted upon
- oighted upon
- lughted upon
- ljghted upon
- lkghted upon
- loghted upon
- l9ghted upon
- l8ghted upon
- lifhted upon
- livhted upon
- libhted upon
- lihhted upon
- liyhted upon
- lithted upon
- liggted upon
- ligbted upon
- lignted upon
- ligjted upon
Etymology of LIGHTED UPON
The phrase "lighted upon" is a combination of two separate words and their etymologies.
First, "lighted" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "light", which in this context means to come upon or discover something. The word has Old English origins, where it was spelled "līhtan" and meant "to descend, fall", or "alight upon". Over time, the meaning shifted to include the sense of "to discover or find".
Second, "upon" is a preposition that means "on" or "on top of". Its etymology dates back to Middle English, derived from the Old English preposition "ūp on", which translates to "up" and "on".
Therefore, "lighted upon" originated from the Old English words "līhtan" and "ūp on", combining to express the action of finding or discovering something.
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