Lightening

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  lightening \lightening\ n.
     The process of changing to a lighter color.
  
     Syn: whitening.
          [WordNet 1.5]



From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lighten \Light"en\ (l[imac]t"'n), v. i. [imp. & p. p.
     {Lightened} (l[imac]t"'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Lightening}.]
     [OE. lightenen. See {Light} to kindle, illuminate.]
     1. To burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with, or
        like, lightning; to display a flash or flashes of
        lightning; to flash.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This dreadful night,
              That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
              As doth the lion.                     --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To grow lighter; to become less dark or lowering; to
        brighten; to clear, as the sky.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  lightening
       n 1: descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity that occurs
            late in pregnancy; the fetus is said to have dropped
       2: changing to a lighter color [syn: {whitening}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  74 Moby Thesaurus words for "lightening":
     abatement, achromatization, allayment, alleviating, alleviation,
     alleviative, assuagement, blanching, bleach, bleaching, blunting,
     brightening, calming, damping, deadening, decoloration,
     decolorization, decolorizing, demulsion, diminution, disburdening,
     discoloration, disembarrassment, disencumbering, disencumberment,
     disencumbrance, dulcification, dulling, easement, easing,
     enlightening, etiolation, fading, falling-off, hushing,
     illuminating, illumining, leniency, lessening, letdown, letup,
     lighting, loosening, lulling, madder bleach, market bleach,
     mitigation, modulation, mollification, pacification, paling,
     palliation, quietening, quieting, reduction, relaxation, relief,
     relieving, remission, slackening, softening, soothing, subduement,
     tempering, tranquilization, unballasting, unburdening,
     unfreighting, unlading, unloading, unsaddling, untaxing,
     unweighting, whitening