sight
pronunciation
How to pronounce sight in British English:
UK [saɪt]
How to pronounce sight in American English:
US [saɪt]
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- Noun:
- an instance of visual perception
- anything that is seen
- the ability to see; the faculty of vision
- a optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
- a range of mental vision
- the range of vision
- the act of looking or seeing or observing
- (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
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- Verb:
- catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes
Word Origin
- sight
- sight: [OE] Sight is a derivative of the prehistoric Germanic base *sekh-, which also produced English see. In the case of its Germanic relatives, German gesicht, Dutch gezicht, Swedish ansikte, and Danish ansigt, the notion of ‘sight’ has led on via ‘appearance’ to ‘face’.=> see
- sight (n.)
- Old English sihð, gesiht, gesihð "thing seen; faculty of sight; aspect; vision; apparition," from Proto-Germanic *sekh(w)- (cognates: Danish sigte, Swedish sigt, Middle Dutch sicht, Dutch zicht, Old High German siht, German Sicht, Gesicht), stem that also yielded Old English seon (see see (v.)), with noun suffix -th (2), later -t. Verily, truth is sight. Therefore if two people should come disputing, saying, 'I have seen,' 'I have heard,' we should trust the one who says 'I have seen.' [Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 5.14.4] Meaning "perception or apprehension by means of the eyes" is from early 13c. Meaning "device on a firearm to assist in aiming" is from 1580s. A "show" of something, hence, colloquially, "a great many; a lot" (late 14c.). Sight for sore eyes "welcome visitor" is attested from 1738; sight unseen "without previous inspection" is from 1892. Sight gag first attested 1944. Middle English had sighty (late 14c.) "visible, conspicuous; bright, shining; attractive, handsome;" c. 1400 as "keen-sighted;" mid-15c. as "discerning" (compare German sichtig "visible").
- sight (v.)
- 1550s, "look at, view, inspect," from sight (n.). From c. 1600 as "get sight of," 1842 as "take aim along the sight of a firearm." Related: Sighted; sighting.
Example
- 1. The ships in the bay present a beautiful sight .
- 2. What price an old man 's sight ?
- 3. Be sure to research the speed and sight upgrades .
- 4. Eg. she turned away in horror at the sight of so much blood .
- 5. It 's an intoxicating moment . A perfect symmetry of sight , sound and scent .