O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us. --Book of
Common Prayer
[Eng. Ed.].
2. To make less burdensome or afflictive; to alleviate; as,
to lighten the cares of life or the burden of grief.
3. To cheer; to exhilarate.
Lightens my humor with his merry jests. --Shak.
This dreadful night, That thunders, lightens, opens
graves, and roars As doth the lion. --Shak.
2. To grow lighter; to become less dark or lowering; to
brighten; to clear, as the sky.
A key of fire ran all along the shore, And lightened
all the river with a blaze. --Dryden.
2. To illuminate with knowledge; to enlighten. [In this sense
less common than enlighten.]
Lighten my spirit with one clear heavenly ray. --Sir
J. Davies.
3. To emit or disclose in, or as in, lightning; to flash out,
like lightning.
His eye . . . lightens forth Controlling majesty.
--Shak.
4. To free from trouble and fill with joy.
They looked unto him, and were lightened. --Ps.
xxxiv. 5.