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sight
sight / sīt/ • n. 1. the faculty or power of seeing: Joseph lost his sight as a baby| [as adj.] a sight test. ∎ the action or fact of seeing someone or something: I've always been scared of the sight of blood. ∎ the area or distance within which someone can see or something can be seen: he now refused to let Rose out of his sight. ∎ dated a person's view or consideration: we are all equal in the sight of God. 2. a thing that one sees or that can be seen: John was a familiar sight in the bar for many years he was getting used to seeing unpleasant sights. ∎ (sights) places of interest to tourists and visitors in a city, town, or other place: she offered to show me the sights. ∎ (a sight) inf. a person or thing having a ridiculous, repulsive, or disheveled appearance: “I must look a frightful sight,” she said. 3. (usu. sights) a device on a gun or optical instrument used for assisting a person's precise aim or observation. • v. 1. [tr.] manage to see or observe (someone or something); catch an initial glimpse of: tell me when you sight London Bridge| [as n.] (sighting) the unseasonal sighting of a cuckoo. 2. [intr.] take aim by looking through the sights of a gun: she sighted down the barrel. ∎ take a detailed visual measurement of something with or as with a sight. ∎ [tr.] adjust the sight of (a firearm or optical instrument). PHRASES: at first sight on first seeing or meeting someone: it was love at first sight. ∎ after an initial impression (which is then found to be different from what is actually the case): the debate is more complex than it seems at first sight. catch (or get a) sight of glimpse for a moment; suddenly notice: when she caught sight of him she smiled. in sight visible: no other vehicle was in sight. ∎ near at hand; close to being achieved or realized: the minister insisted that agreement was in sight. in (or within) sight of so as to see or be seen from: I climbed the hill and came in sight of the house. ∎ within reach of; close to attaining: he was safe for the moment and in sight of victory. in (or within) one's sights visible, esp. through the sights of one's gun. ∎ within the scope of one's ambitions or expectations: he had the prize firmly in his sights. lose sight of be no longer able to see. ∎ fail to consider, be aware of, or remember: we should not lose sight of the fact that the issues involved are moral ones. not a pretty sight inf. not a pleasant spectacle or situation. on (or at) sight as soon as someone or something has been seen: in Africa, paramilitary game wardens shoot poachers on sight. out of sight 1. not visible: she saw them off, waving until the car was out of sight. 2. (also out·a·sight) [often as interj.] inf. extremely good; excellent: [as adj.] these stereophones are an out-of-sight choice. (get) out of my sight! go away at once! raise (or lower) one's sights become more (or less) ambitious; increase (or lower) one's expectations. set one's sights on have as an ambition; hope strongly to achieve or reach: Katherine set her sights on college. a sight —— inf. or dial. used to indicate that something is so described to a considerable extent: the old lady is a sight cleverer than Sarah he's a sight too full of himself. a sight for sore eyes inf. a person or thing that one is extremely pleased or relieved to see. a sight to behold a person or thing that is particularly impressive or worth seeing.DERIVATIVES: sight·er n. |
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Cite this article
"sight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sight.html "sight." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sight.html |
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sight
sight thing seen, spectacle OE.; eyesight, vision; show, display, (hence) lot XIV; device to guide the eye XVI. OE. sihō, more usu. ġesihō, ġesiht (see Y-), corr. to OS. gisiht, MLG. sichte, MDu. sicht (Du. zicht), OHG., MHG. (ge)sicht (G. gesicht) sight, vision, face, appearance; WGmc. deriv. of *se(w)- SEE1; see -T1.
Hence sightly †visible; pleasing to the sight. XVI. See -LY1; now more freq. in UNSIGHTLY. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "sight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "sight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sight.html T. F. HOAD. "sight." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sight.html |
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sight
sight n. (usually sights) a device on a gun or optical instrument used for assisting a person's precise aim or observation.
v. 1. (sighting) take aim by looking through the sights of a gun: she sighted down the barrel. 2. take a detailed visual measurement of something with or as with a sight. 3. adjust the sight of (a firearm or optical instrument). in or within one's sights visible, especially through the sights of one's gun. |
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Cite this article
"sight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-sight.html "sight." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-sight.html |
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sight
sight, an altitude observation of sun, moon, planet, or star by which the ship's position can be calculated by celestial navigation instead of satellite navigation. It entails the simultaneous measurement of altitude, obtained with a sextant, and of Greenwich Mean Time. Most navigators try to minimize random errors of observation by taking several observations of each body. Each observation in this case is referred to as a shot.
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Cite this article
"sight." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-sight.html "sight." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-sight.html |
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sight
sight out of sight, out of mind one soon forgets people or things that are no longer visible or present. Proverbial; current in this form since the mid 16th century.
See also in vain the net is spread in the sight of the bird, second sight. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-sight.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sight." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-sight.html |
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Sight
Sighta great number; a quantity; a sum; a multitude. Examples : sight of asses, 1577; of rare flowers, 1752; of lawyers; of money; of ships, 1449; of thanks, 1800; innumerable sight of stars, 1538; noble sight of books, 1432. |
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"Sight." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sight." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301396.html "Sight." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301396.html |
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sight
sight Sense by which form, colour, size, movement, and distance of objects are perceived. Essentially, it is the detection of light by the eye, enabling the formation of visual images.
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"sight." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-sight.html "sight." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-sight.html |
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sight
sight see vision . |
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Cite this article
"sight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-sight.html "sight." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-sight.html |
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sight
sight
•affright, alight, alright, aright, bedight, bight, bite, blight, bright, byte, cite, dight, Dwight, excite, fight, flight, fright, goodnight, height, ignite, impolite, indict, indite, invite, kite, knight, light, lite, might, mite, night, nite, outfight, outright, plight, polite, quite, right, rite, shite, sight, site, skintight, skite, sleight, slight, smite, Snow-white, spite, sprite, tight, tonight, trite, twite, underwrite, unite, uptight, white, wight, wright, write
•Shiite • Trotskyite • McCarthyite
•Vishnuite • Sivaite • albite
•snakebite • frostbite • soundbite
•kilobyte • columbite • love bite
•Moabite • megabyte • gigabyte
•Jacobite • Rechabite • jadeite
•lyddite • expedite • cordite • erudite
•Luddite • recondite • troglodyte
•hermaphrodite • extradite
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Cite this article
"sight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sight.html "sight." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sight.html |
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