lichten

• Audio

  (file)

lichten

1. to raise, to lift up
2. to empty out

lichten

1. Plural form of licht

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɪçtən/

Derived from the adjective licht (“light; bright”) and/or the noun Licht (“light”).

lichten (third-person singular simple present lichtet, past tense lichtete, past participle gelichtet, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive) to thin out; to clear; to make sparse

   Die Soldaten lichteten den Wald, um ihn für schweres Gerät durchgängig zu machen.

   The soldiers thinned out the forest in order to make it passable for heavy equipment.

2. (reflexive) to thin out; to be cleared; to become sparse (usually slowly)

   Die Zuschauerränge lichteten sich.

   The spectator seats were gradually cleared.

3. (reflexive, literary) to become light, bright (usually slowly)

   Der Himmel lichtete sich.

   The sky became light.

4. (reflexive, literary, of facial expression) to become bright; to lose sternness

   Ihr Blick lichtete sich.

   Her look became bright.

• ablichten
• auslichten

From Middle Low German lichten, originally “to make light”, derived from licht (“light; not heavy”). After the Low German development -ft- → -cht- (compare Nichte), the verb was merged with, or at least influenced by, unrelated lüchten (“to lift”), from Proto-Germanic *luftijaną, whence also English lift. Compare Dutch lichten.

lichten (third-person singular simple present lichtet, past tense lichtete, past participle gelichtet, auxiliary haben)

1. (nautical) to weigh (the anchor)