[sight] n [ME, fr. OE gesiht faculty or act of sight, thing seen; akin to OHG gisiht sight, OE seon to see] (bef. 12c) 1: something that is seen: spectacle
2. a: a thing regarded as worth seeing--usu. used in pl. "the ~s of the city" b: something ludicrous or disorderly in appearance "you look a ~" 3 a chiefly dial: a great number or quantity b: a good deal: lot "a far ~ better" "not by a damn ~"
4. a: the process, power, or function of seeing; specif: the animal sense of which the end organ is the eye and by which the position, shape, and color of objects are perceived b: mental or spiritual perception c: mental view; specif: judgment
5. a: the act of looking at or beholding b: inspection, perusal c: view, glimpse d: an observation to determine direction or position (as by a navigator)
6. a: a perception of an object by or as if by the eye "never lost ~ of the objective" b: the range of vision "was nowhere in ~" 7: presentation of a note or draft to the maker or draftee: demand
8. a: a device that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object b pl: aspiration "set her ~s on a medical career" -- in sight : at or within a reasonable distance or time -- on sight : as soon as seen "ordered to shoot on sight" -- out of sight 1: beyond comparison
2: beyond all expectation or reason 3--used as a generalized expression of approval -- sight for sore eyes : one whose appearance or arrival is an occasion for joy or relief
[2]sight vt (1602) 1: to get or catch sight of "several whales were ~ed"
2: to look at through or as if through a sight; esp: to test for straightness
3: to aim by means of sights
4. a: to equip with sights b: to adjust the sights of ~ vi 1: to take aim
2: to look carefully in a particular direction [3]sight adj (1801) 1: based on recognition or comprehension without previous study "~ translation"
2: payable on presentation "a ~ draft"