See Also: In sight(finance)
Day sight(health)
At Sight(money)
out of sight(dictionary)
sight(1)(dictionary)
second sight(medicine)
sight(2)(dictionary)
near sight(medicine)
second sight(dictionary)
far sight(medicine)

sight(1) (iou)



sight noun.

I.
A thing seen, esp. one that is striking or remarkable; a spectacle. Formerly also (spec.), a vision, an apparition. OE.
F. Spalding Palmers Green was still..rural and a..car a very rare sight.
b. In pl. The noteworthy features of a particular town, area, etc. L16.
Holiday Which? The best of the sights are at the other end of the island.
c. A person or thing having a repulsive, ridiculous, or dishevelled appearance. colloq. M19.
W. Faulkner 'Ain't he a sight now,' Snopes cackled. T. Morrison I'll try to get myself together. I know I look a sight.
Aspect, appearance. ME-L17.
A show, a display, (of); transf. a considerable number or amount (of). Now colloq. & Scot. LME.
S. Coolidge What a sight of washing those children made.
b. In adverbial phrs.: to a considerable degree or extent. colloq. M19.
F. Forsyth Shannon..still in bed but feeling a sight better. J. Elliott Wearing..a sight too much make-up.
II.
The faculty or power of seeing with the eyes; eyesight. ME.
Day Lewis Aged voters who,..through failing sight..confused C.S. with C.D. Lewis on their voting papers. P. Fitzgerald He..took off his spectacles, changing from a creature of sight to one of faith.
b. fig. Mental or spiritual vision spec. (the sight) second sight, clairvoyance (chiefly Scot.). ME.
E. H. Clements The factor stared..' Why Kilmorrin, you have the sight!'
The visual perception or apprehension of a person or thing; a view of something; a look, a glimpse. Formerly also (fig.), an insight into a matter. ME.
H. James Waymarsh had not..come down, and our friend..went forth without a sight of him. J. Herriot I could see into the pen and the sight was rewarding.
b. Poker. A show of hands; esp. one called for by a player unable to equal another's bet. US. E19.
c. An observation or measurement taken with an optical device. Cf. sense 10. M19.
d. A sale of packets of uncut diamonds. M20.
The action of seeing or looking. Chiefly in by sight below. ME.
b. (A) close examination or scrutiny; (a) supervision. Now rare exc. Scot. LME.
a. The range or extent of a person's vision. Chiefly in in sight, out of one's sight. ME.
A. Tyler She was..quick to..order you out of her sight. fig.: Banker Punters preferred to go for capital gain..out of sight of the tax authorities.
b. Opinion, judgement; regard. Now chiefly in in one's sight. ME.
c. Foll. by in: knowledge, skill, insight. M16-E17.
A range of space within which a particular person or thing can be seen. Chiefly in out of sight (of), within sight (of). M16.
H. Kissinger I..chatted..with Le Duc Tho within sight of photographers.
b. A station on a river-bank for observing salmon. Scot. L18.
III.
The pupil of the eye. Now Scot. & dial. LME.
b. A visor. E16-M17.
c. In pl. Spectacles. Now dial. E17.
a. A device on an optical (esp. surveying) instrument to guide the eye. M16.
b. sing. & in pl. A (freq. telescopic) device on a gun etc. to aid precise aiming. L16.
Guns Illustrated The Target Model has..adjustable sights.
c. Billiards. Any of the nails placed around the frame of the table as markers in some forms of the game. M19.
Phrases: a damn sight: see DAMN adjective & adverb. a sight fit for the gods, a sight for the gods: see GOD noun. at first sight at the first view or impression of a person or thing (love at first sight: see LOVE noun). at sight as soon as a person or thing has been seen. by sight by visual recognition; know by sight, recognize without having close acquaintance. catch sight of begin to see or be aware of. in one's sights visible through one's gun sights; fig. within one's expectations or ambitions. in sight visible; fig. near at hand, approaching. line of sight a straight line (sight-line) along which an observer has unobstructed vision, or (transf.) along which radio waves, etc. may be transmitted directly (freq. attrib., with hyphens). long sight: see LONG adjective1. lose sight of cease to see or be aware of; cease to know the whereabouts of. lower one's sights lessen one's ambitions. night sight: see NIGHT noun. on sight = at sight above. OUT OF SIGHT. out of one's sight: see sense 7a above. PISGAH sight. put out of sight hide, ignore. raise one's sights increase one's expectations or ambitions. second sight: see SECOND adjective. set one's sights on aim at, have as an ambition. short sight: see SHORT adjective. sight for sore eyes a welcome person or thing, esp. a welcome visitor. sight unseen (of a purchase etc.) made without previous inspection. take a sight at arch. slang gesture with thumb to nose and little finger extended as a sign of derision. take sights slang (chiefly Criminals') observe, watch closely. telescopic sight: see TELESCOPIC 1. upon sight = at sight above. within sight = in sight above.
Comb.: sight bar: forming part of a gun-sight; sight bill US a bill of exchange payable on presentation; sight-board = sight-screen below; sight cheque US a cheque payable on presentation; sight deposit a bank deposit that can be withdrawn immediately without notice or penalty; sight distance an unobstructed view of the course of a road etc. from any point along it; sight draft US = sight cheque above; sight feed a supply line for lubricant or fuel incorporating a sight-glass; sight gag colloq. a visual joke; sight-glass a glass tube or window through which the level of liquid in a reservoir, supply line, etc. can be checked visually; sight-holder [proprietary name] a diamond merchant entitled to buy diamonds at a sight; sight-hole a hole to see through, esp. in a surveying or other optical instrument; sighthound any of the group of hounds originally bred to hunt independently from humans, e.g. greyhounds and whippets; sight liability an obligation to pay money on presentation of a cheque or bill of exchange; sight-line (a) a line representing the horizon in a perspective drawing; (b) a hypothetical line from a person's eye to an object seen; esp. one extending from the eye of a theatre spectator to the edge of the stage; sight-player a person able to play music at sight; sight-read verb intrans. & trans. read and perform (music) at sight; sight-reader a person able to sight-read; sight record Ornithology: of the sighting as opp. to the capture of a bird; sight-screen: see SCREEN noun1 3e; sightsee verb intrans. & trans. [back-form.] go sightseeing (in); sightseeing the action or occupation of seeing sights or places of interest in a particular area; sightseer a person who goes sightseeing; sight-setter a member of a gun-crew on a warship responsible for keeping the gun-sight at the correct elevation; sight-sing verb intrans. & trans. sing (music) at sight (chiefly as sight-singing verbal noun); sightsman (now rare) (a) a local guide; (b) = sight-reader above; sight tube a transparent tube for displaying the level of liquid in a tank or cistern.
sighted adjective (a) having sight, esp. of a specified kind (freq. as 2nd elem. of comb., as
long-sighted,
short-sighted, etc.); (b) capable of seeing (as opp. to blind); (c) (of a gun etc.) provided with a sight or sights: M16.
sightful adjective (a) = SIGHTLY adjective 1a, 2; (b) (now literary) having sight, sighted: LME.
sightworthy adjective worth seeing or visiting E17.
sighty adjective (now dial.) (a) = SIGHTLY adjective 1, 2; (b) perceptive, clever: LME.