Pronunciation: [lˈɪt əpˌɒn] (IPA) 
"Lit upon" is a phrase that means to come across or discover. The spelling of the word "lit" is straightforward, but the word "upon" might cause confusion for non-native speakers. The IPA phonetic transcription for "upon" is /əˈpɒn/, with the stress on the second syllable. The letter "u" has a schwa sound, which means that it is pronounced as an unstressed vowel. The final "n" is pronounced like the "n" in "no" and is not silent.
The term "lit upon" is a phrasal verb used to describe the act of accidentally stumbling upon or discovering something unexpected or by chance. It suggests a sense of fortuitousness or happening upon something without intentional effort.
When someone "lit upon" something, it means they came across it unexpectedly, often during a search or exploration. This phrase often implies a level of surprise or serendipity associated with the discovery. It can be used in both literal and figurative contexts.
In a literal sense, "lit upon" may refer to physically finding an object while not actively looking for it. For example, someone might say, "While cleaning the attic, I lit upon an old, forgotten family photo album." In this case, the person discovered the album while engaged in an unrelated activity.
Figuratively, "lit upon" can describe a sudden uncovering of information, knowledge, or a solution to a problem. For instance, one might say, "After hours of trying to solve the puzzle, I finally lit upon the correct answer." Here, the phrase conveys a sense of relief or excitement at the unexpected revelation of the solution.
Overall, "lit upon" encapsulates the idea of accidentally discovering or stumbling upon something, whether it be a physical object, information, or a solution, often resulting in feelings of surprise or satisfaction.
The phrase "lit upon" is a combination of two words: "lit" and "upon", each with their own etymology.
1. "Lit": It is the past tense and past participle of the verb "light" which originally meant "to kindle, ignite" or "give light". The term can be traced back to Old English where it was spelled as "lihtan". Over time, "lit" started being used more widely, evolving to refer to the act of igniting or illuminating, both literally and figuratively.
2. "Upon": The term "upon" can be traced back to Middle English where it was spelled as "uppan" or "upon", and it comes from Old English "uppan". The root of the word comes from the preposition "up" which indicates location or movement in a higher position or upward direction.
