Library / English Dictionary

LIGHTENING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Changing to a lighter color

Synonyms:

lightening; whitening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("lightening" is a kind of...):

change of color (an act that changes the light that something reflects)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lightening"):

bleach (the act of whitening something by bleaching it (exposing it to sunlight or using a chemical bleaching agent))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity that occurs late in pregnancy; the fetus is said to have dropped

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("lightening" is a kind of...):

descent (a movement downward)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

-ing form of the verb lighten

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