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Webster 1913 Edition

Sight

Sight

(sīt)
,
Noun.
[OE.
sight
,
siþt
,
siht
, AS.
siht
, ge
siht
, ge
sihð
, ge
siehð
, ge
syhð
; akin to D. ge
zicht
, G.
sicht
, ge
sicht
, Dan.
sigte
, Sw.
sigt
, from the root of E.
see
. See
See
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view;
as, to gain
sight
of land
.
A cloud received him out of their
sight
.
Acts. i. 9.
2.
The power of seeing; the faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes.
Thy
sight
is young,
And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle.
Shakespeare
O loss of
sight
, of thee I most complain!
Milton.
3.
The state of admitting unobstructed vision; visibility; open view; region which the eye at one time surveys; space through which the power of vision extends;
as, an object within
sight
.
4.
A spectacle; a view; a show; something worth seeing.
Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great
sight
, why the bush is not burnt.
Ex. iii. 3.
They never saw a
sight
so fair.
Spenser.
5.
The instrument of seeing; the eye.
Why cloud they not their
sights
?
Shakespeare
6.
Inspection; examination;
as, a letter intended for the
sight
of only one person
.
7.
Mental view; opinion; judgment;
as, in their
sight
it was harmless
.
Wake.
That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the
sight
of God.
Luke xvi. 15.
8.
A small aperture or optical device through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained; – used on surveying instruments;
as, the
sight
of a quadrant
.
Thier eyes of fire sparking through
sights
of steel.
Shakespeare
9.
An optical device or small piece of metal, fixed or movable, on the breech, muzzle, center, or trunnion of a gun, or on the breech and the muzzle of a rifle, pistol, etc., by means of which the eye is guided in aiming. A telescope mounted on a weapon, such as a rifle, and used for accurate aiming at distant targets is called a
telescopic sight
.
Farrow.
10.
In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the border or margin. In a frame or the like, the open space, the opening.
11.
A great number, quantity, or sum;
as, a
sight
of money
.
[Now colloquial]
☞ Sight in this last sense was formerly employed in the best usage. “A sight of lawyers.”
Latimer.
A wonder
sight
of flowers.
Gower.
At sight
,
as soon as seen, or presented to sight;
as, a draft payable
at sight
: to read Greek
at sight
; to shoot a person
at sight
.
–
Front sight
(Firearms)
,
the sight nearest the muzzle.
–
Open sight
.
(Firearms)
(a)
A front sight through which the objects aimed at may be seen, in distinction from one that hides the object
.
(b)
A rear sight having an open notch instead of an aperture.
–
Peep sight
,
Rear sight
.
See under
Peep
, and
Rear
.
–
Sight draft
,
an order, or bill of exchange, directing the payment of money at sight.
–
To take sight
,
to take aim; to look for the purpose of directing a piece of artillery, or the like.
Syn. – Vision; view; show; spectacle; representation; exhibition.

Sight

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Sighted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sighting
.]
1.
To get sight of; to see;
as, to
sight
land; to
sight
a wreck.
Kane.
2.
To look at through a sight; to see accurately;
as, to
sight
an object, as a star
.
3.
To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight;
as, to
sight
a rifle or a cannon
.

Sight

,
Verb.
I.
(Mil.)
To take aim by a sight.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sight

SIGHT

,
Noun.
1.
The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view; as, to gain sight of land; to have a sight of a landscape; to lose sight of a ship at sea. A cloud received him out of their sight. Acts 1.
2.
The faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes. It has been doubted whether moles have sight. Milton lost his sight. The sight usually fails at of before fifty years of age. O loss of sight, of thee I most complain.
3.
Open view; the state of admitting unobstructed vision; a being within the limits of vision. The harbor is in sight of the town. The shore of Long Island is in sight of New Haven. The White mountain is in plain sight at Portland, in Maine; a mountain is or is not within sight; an engagement at sea is within sight of land.
4.
Notice from seeing; knowledge; as a letter intended for the sight of one person only.
5.
Eye; the instrument of seeing. From the depth of hell they lift their sight.
6.
An aperture through which objects are to be seen; or something to direct the vision; as the sight of a quadrant; the sight of a fowling piece or a rifle.
7.
That which is beheld; a spectacle; a show; particularly, something wonderful. They never saw a sight so fair. Moses said, I will now turn aside and see the great sight, why the bush is not burned. Ex. 3. Fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. To take sight, to take aim; to look for purpose of directing a piece of artillery, &c.

Definition 2024

sight

sight

English

Noun

sight ‎(countable and uncountable, plural sights)

  1. (in the singular) The ability to see.
    • Shakespeare
      Thy sight is young, / And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle.
    • Milton
      O loss of sight, of thee I most complain!
  2. The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view.
    to gain sight of land
    • Bible, Acts i. 9
      A cloud received him out of their sight.
  3. Something seen.
    • 2005, Lesley Brown (translator), Plato (author), Sophist, 236d:
    • He's a really remarkable man and it's very hard to get him in one's sights; […]
  4. Something worth seeing; a spectacle.
    You really look a sight in that silly costume!
    • Bible, Exodus iii. 3
      Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
    • Spenser
      They never saw a sight so fair.
  5. A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
  6. A small aperture through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained.
    the sight of a quadrant
    • Shakespeare
      their eyes of fire sparking through sights of steel
  7. (now colloquial) a great deal, a lot; frequently used to intensify a comparative.
    a sight of money
    This is a darn sight better than what I'm used to at home!
    • Gower
      a wonder sight of flowers
    • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 2
      "If your mother put you in the pit at twelve, it's no reason why I should do the same with my lad."
      "Twelve! It wor a sight afore that!"
  8. In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the border or margin. In a frame, the open space, the opening.
  9. (obsolete) The instrument of seeing; the eye.
    • Shakespeare
      Why cloud they not their sights?
  10. Mental view; opinion; judgment.
    In their sight it was harmless.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Wake to this entry?)
    • Bible, Luke xvi. 15
      That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

sight ‎(third-person singular simple present sights, present participle sighting, simple past and past participle sighted)

  1. (transitive) To register visually.
  2. (transitive) To get sight of (something).
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 4, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      I was on my way to the door, but all at once, through the fog in my head, I began to sight one reef that I hadn't paid any attention to afore.
    to sight land from a ship‎
  3. (transitive) To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight.
    to sight a rifle or a cannon‎
  4. (transitive) To take aim at.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: sometimes · account · party · #454: sight · electronic · sea · necessary

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English siȝht, siȝt, siht, from Old English siht, sihþ ‎(“something seen; vision”), from Proto-Germanic *sihtiz, equivalent to see +‎ -th. Cognate with Scots Scots sicht, Saterland Frisian Sicht, West Frisian sicht, Dutch zicht, German Low German Sicht, German Sicht, Danish sigte, Swedish sikte.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -aɪt
  • enPR: sīt, IPA(key): /saɪt/
  • Rhymes: -aɪt
  • Homophones: cite, site

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