Obs. Forms: 1 léʓet(u, líʓet(u, -yt, léʓeð, 2–4 leit, 2, 4 leyt, 3 liȝt, 4 laite, layt(e, leyȝt, 4–5 leate, late, 6 layth. [OE. léʓet, líʓet masc. and neut., líʓetu fem., f. léʓ, líeʓ flame. Cf. LAIT v.1] Lightning; occas. flash of fire.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., IV. iii. (1890), 268. Drihten … leʓetas sceotað of heofonum.
971. Blickl. Hom., 91. Æfter þæm wolcne cymeþ leʓetu.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxviii. 3. Hys ansyn wæs swylce liʓyt [c. 1160 Hatton, leyt].
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 43. Heore eþem scean swa deð þe leit a-monge þunre.
c. 1205. Lay., 25599. Me þuhte … þat þa sæ gon to berne of leite & of fure.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 6283. Ech dunt þoȝte liȝt [MS. B. leyȝt] as it were and þondring.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 199. He loked as layt so lyȝt.
1340. Ayenb., 66. Lhapþ þet smeþ efter þe layt.
1382. Wyclif, Exod. ix. 23. The Lord ȝaf … dyversly rennynge leytis upon the erthe.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 482. Leit gooth out of the eest and apperith into the west.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XVII. xi. Ther felle a sodeyne tempest and thonder layte and rayne.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl., II. 85. Leate, thounder, and eirth beganne to quake, Therof I am adreade.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge, II. 121. Thondryng and layth, erth-quake moost terrible.
