Flight sb.²

Forms: 3 fluht, fliht, Orm. flihht, vliht, 4 fliȝt, (fluiȝt, flyight, flyȝt), 4–6 flyght, Sc. flicht, flycht, (6 flyette), 4– flight, [OE. *flyht = OS. fluht (Du. vlucht), OHG. fluht (MHG. vlucht, mod.Ger. flucht) str. fem.:—OTeut. *pluhti-z f. weak grade of root *pleuh- to FLEE. A parallel form, differing in declension, is ON. flótte, the OTeut. type of which would be *plohlon-; the Sw. flykt, Da. flygt are adopted from Ger.]

  1.  The action of fleeing or running away from, or as from, danger, etc.; hasty departure or retreat, also, an absconding.

c. 1200.  Ormin, 19683.

c. 1275.  Lay., 21405. Ne mihte he fliht makie in neuere one side.

a. 1375.  Joseph Arim., 506. Þat luyte miȝte faren him fro · and to fluiȝt founden.

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xlii. 143. In fycht is mensk, and schame in flycht.

1526.  Tindale, Matt. xxiv. 20. Praye thatt youre flyght be not in the winther, nether on the saboth daye.

1591.  Shaks., Two Gent., IV. iv. 172.

1760–71.  trans. Juan & Ulloa’s Voy. (ed. 3), II. 344. It was half an hour after eleven when the Delivrance thus began to seek her safety in flight.

1769.  Blackstone, Comm., IV. 380. For the very flight is an offence, carrying with it a strong presumption of guilt, and is at least an endeavor to allude and stifle the course of justice prescibed by the law.

1855.  ‘Stonehenge,’ Rur. Sports, I. I. x. (1856), 83. The Direction of the Deer’s Flight is almost always up-wind, in order to be forewarned, by their acute sense of smell, of any approaching danger.

1882.  J. H. Blunt, Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 367–8. Many benefices had become vacant through the flight of the Marian clergy.

  † b.  Abhorrence or avoidance of; shrinking from.

1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., III. vi. (1495), 53. In the Irascibil is flyghte of contrarye and of euyll.

1626.  Bacon, Sylva, § 766. The Cause may be, the Emission of the Spirits, and so of the Breath, by a Flight from Titillation; For vpon Tickling, we see there is euer a Starting, or Shrinking away of the Part, to auoid it.

1651.  trans. Bacon’s Life & Death, 57. Arefaction, is not the proper Worke of the Spirit, but of the Grosser Parts, after the Spirit issued forth; For then they contract themselves, partly by their Flight of Vacuum, partly by the Vnion of Homogeneals.

1665.  Hooke, Microgr., 16. We see therefore what is the reason of the sympathy or uniting of some bodies together, and of the antipathy or flight of others from each other.

  c.  A means of fleeing, way of escape. rare^–1.

1819.  Shelley, Cyclops, 436.

  d.  Curve of flight: a correlative term to curve of pursuit: see CURVE sb. 1.

1879.  Thomson & Tait, Nat. Phil., I. I. § 40. The remainder of the curve satisfies a modified form of statement of the original question, and is called the Curve of Flight.

  † e.  Sure flight (jocularly): ? one who is able to run away safely. Obs.

1599.  Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, 11. Such of them as were sure flights, (sauing a reuerence of their manhoods) ranne crying and complayning to King Henry the second.

  2.  Phrases: To take flight, † to take (on oneself) the flight, to betake or † smite oneself to flight, to take to flight, † to set oneself in flight: to flee. † To bring or do on (usually a, o) flight, to put to († the) flight (or † upon the flight): to cause to flee. To turn to or † into flight: to cause to flee, in early use also intr. to flee.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 248. Herdi bileaue bringeð þene deouel a vlihte anon-rihtes…. Etstondeð one aȝean þe ueonde, & he deð him o fluhte.

a. 1225.  Juliana, 45. I þat ilke time we biginneð to fleon & turneð to fluhte.

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, II. 266.

c. 1489.  Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 243. Whan they that had chased Rycharde there for to slee hym, sawe Reynawde come they smote theym selfe to flyghte.

c. 1500.  Lancelot, 3014. Ȝhone folk sal tak one them the flycht.

1526.  Tindale, Heb. xi. 34. Which … wexed valiant in fyght, turned to flyght the armees of the alientes.

1625–6.  Purchas, Pilgrimes, II. 1128. The feare they tooke of these shots was so great, that presently set themselues in flight.

a. 1639.  Spottiswood, Hist. Ch. Scotl., III. (1655), 145. At last the Scottish horsemen did charge the French with such a fury, that they, not able to maintain it any longer, took the flight and retired to the Town.

1745.  P. Thomas, Jrnl. Anson’s Voy., 207. He put himself at the Head of an Army to punish this Rebel; but seeing himself abandon’d by the People, whom he had foolishly deserted, he thought it was his wisest Course to abdicate, and betake himself to flight.

1816.  J. Marriott, Hymn, ‘Thou, Whose Almighty word,’ i.

1818.  Shelley, Rev. Islam, VI. xiv. 1. That onset turned the foes to flight almost.

1840.  F. D. Bennet, Whaling Voy., I. 258–9. The remainder of the herd (which was small, and entirely composed of young males,) took to flight when their companions were harpooned, and baffled all further pursuit, although their spouting was visible in the horizon until the close of day.

1849.  Grote, Greece, II. lxxiii. (1862), VI. 422. The Persians were put to flight and many of them drowned in the Paktôlus.

  3.  Comb., as flight-given, inclined to flee.

c. 1611.  Chapman, Iliad, II. 157.