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Glite Dictionary
Very-light

Very-light

9.9
A bright colored flare that you fire from a pistol to show your position
  • noun
  • /ˈvɛri laɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fuego de señal
  • The boat sent up a Very-light as a distress signal to attract attention.

Examples

  • He watched as a red Very-light illuminated the dark sky over the camp.

  • During the night operation, the soldiers fired a Very-light to signal their position.

  • The sailor fired a Very-light to signal the ship.

  • Can you see the Very-lights in the sky?

  • The boat sent up a Very-light as a distress signal to attract attention.

  • During the night operation, the soldiers fired a Very-light to signal their position.

  • He watched as a red Very-light illuminated the dark sky over the camp.

Synonyms

Very light
vsVery-light
  • Specialized
7.9

A bright signal flare fired from a small pistol to show location or call for help

is used especially for signaling in general civilian and other contexts

Surface Forms

Very-light singular
Very-lights plural

Morphology

Very-light = Very + light (semi-transparent) = Very + light

The element 'light' signals illumination/flare, but 'Very' is an eponymic proper name and gives no transparent semantic contribution for most learners.

Etymology

Very-light is named after an American navy officer called Very, who used a special pistol to fire bright signal flares. A helpful way to remember it is 'Very's light', because it is a colored flare used to show location or danger.