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Glite Dictionary
Very light

Very light

7.9
A bright signal flare fired from a small pistol to show location or call for help
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : fuego de señal
  • The crew fired a Very light to signal their location to the nearby ship.

Examples

  • The captain signaled with a Very light to indicate our position.

  • They kept several Very lights on hand for night-time signaling.

  • During the exercise, a red Very light was launched as an emergency signal.

  • Did you see the Very lights during the exercise?

  • During the exercise, a red Very light was launched as an emergency signal.

  • The crew fired a Very light to signal their location to the nearby ship.

  • The captain signaled with a Very light to indicate our position.

Synonyms

Very-light
vsVery light
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright colored flare that you fire from a pistol to show your position

is written as two separate words rather than a hyphenated form

Surface Forms

Very light singular
Very lights plural

Morphology

very + light

The sense 'a colored flare fired from a Very pistol' is not derivable from 'very' (an intensifier) and 'light' (brightness); the phrase would usually be interpreted as 'extremely light' by learners. This is an eponymous/specialized military term (from the inventor Very) and requires specific cultural or technical knowledge, so it is opaque to a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The noun Very light comes from an American officer, Edward Very, who made a small gun that fired a bright signal light. People soon used his name for the flare, so today a Very light means 'a colored flare used as a signal'.