to descend from a vehicle or to come down from a height
example
The passengers were asked to alight from the bus at the next stop.
synonyms
disembarkdescendland
word origin — From Old English 'ālīhtan', meaning to make light, descend, or dismount, composed of 'a-' (on) and 'līhtan' (to lighten, to make light).
SAT Vocabulary Level 2 — Set 133
Set 133 of SAT Vocabulary Level 2 covers 5 words: alight, linger, maul, emigrate, molt. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
alight · verb/əˈlaɪt/
to descend from a vehicle or to come down from a height
The passengers were asked to alight from the bus at the next stop.
Synonyms: disembark, descend, land
Origin: From Old English 'ālīhtan', meaning to make light, descend, or dismount, composed of 'a-' (on) and 'līhtan' (to lighten, to make light).
linger · verb/ˈlɪŋɡər/
to stay in a place longer than necessary
Even after the party started to wind down, she chose to linger in the corner, enjoying the last moments with her friends.
Synonyms: tarry, linger, dawdle
Origin: Middle English 'lingeren', from Old English 'lingrian', of unknown origin.
maul · verb/mɔl/
to handle or use roughly or clumsily often causing injury
The inexperienced handler began to maul the delicate model, leaving it damaged and misshapen.
Synonyms: batter, bruise, mishandle
Origin: Middle English, from the Old French 'mauler' meaning to handle or injure, probably related to the Latin 'mālus' meaning bad or evil.
emigrate · verb/ˈɛmɪɡreɪt/
to leave one's country to live in another
Due to economic difficulties, many families decide to emigrate to seek better opportunities abroad.
Synonyms: migrate, relocate, move
Origin: From Latin 'emigrare', where 'e-' means 'out' and 'migrare' means 'to move' or 'to wander'.
molt · verb/moʊlt/
to shed or lose hair, feathers, skin, or exoskeleton in order to grow or replace it
As winter approaches, many birds will molt their feathers to prepare for the cold weather.
Synonyms: shed, slough, cast
Origin: The word 'molt' originates from the Latin 'moltus', meaning 'to soften', which is derived from the verb 'mollere', meaning 'to soften or to soothe'. This term evolved in Middle English as 'molt' or 'moulten'.