benight \be*night"\ (b[-e]*n[imac]t"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Benighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Benighting.]
1. To involve in darkness; to shroud with the shades of
night; to obscure. [Archaic]
[1913 Webster]
The clouds benight the sky. --Garth.
[1913 Webster]
2. To overtake with night or darkness, especially before the
end of a day's journey or task.
[1913 Webster]
Some virgin, sure, . . . benighted in these woods.
--Milton.
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3. To involve in moral darkness, or ignorance; to debar from
intellectual light.
[1913 Webster]
Shall we to men benighted
The lamp of life deny ? --Heber.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
benight
v 1: overtake with darkness or night
2: envelop with social, intellectual, or moral darkness; "The
benighted peoples of this area"
3: make difficult to perceive by sight; "The foliage of the
huge tree obscures the view of the lake" [syn: obscure,
bedim]
WordNet (r) 2.0
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