I. ˈlīd.ə(r), -ītə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from (assumed) Middle Dutch lichter (whence Dutch), from Middle Dutch lichten to lighten, unload + -er — more at light (to ease of a burden)
: a large usually flat-bottomed boat or barge that is mainly used in unloading or loading ships not lying at wharves or in transporting freight around a harbor
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to convey by or as if by a lighter
goods have to be lightered half a mile or more between ship and shore — W.R.Moore
they could lighter the stuff down to Colon — D.B.Chidsey
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: light (III) + -er
1. : one that lights or sets fire
a lighter of lamps
excelled as a lighter of fires — D.L.Busk
a pressurized can of charcoal lighter
2. : a device for lighting a fire ; especially : a mechanical or electrical device used for lighting cigarettes, cigars, or pipes
IV.
comparative of light