Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The light of the sun; sunshine.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The light of the sun.
  • noun Same as sun-burner.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The light of the sun.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, especially that in the visible spectrum that bathes the Earth.
  • noun figuratively, figuratively Brightness, hope; a positive outlook.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the rays of the sun

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

In Layamon's Chronicle of Britain, probably before 1200. Compound of sun +‎ light.

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Examples

  • Griffith, who still speaks fondly of the days when every game was played in sunlight, is not very enthusiastic about the prospect of watching baseball in a basement, but something had to be done to improve the Twins 'pitiful attendance figures, and, after balking and stuttering and giving the developers fits, he finally agreed that the domed stadium might be it.

    The Last of the Pure Baseball Men 1981

  • Griffith, who still speaks fondly of the days when every game was played in sunlight, is not very enthusiastic about the prospect of watching baseball in a basement, but something had to be done to improve the Twins 'pitiful attendance figures, and, after balking and stuttering and giving the developers fits, he finally agreed that the domed stadium might be it.

    The Last of the Pure Baseball Men 1981

  • Griffith, who still speaks fondly of the days when every game was played in sunlight, is not very enthusiastic about the prospect of watching baseball in a basement, but something had to be done to improve the Twins 'pitiful attendance figures, and, after balking and stuttering and giving the developers fits, he finally agreed that the domed stadium might be it.

    The Last of the Pure Baseball Men 1981

  • It takes all of them mixed together to make the clear white light which we call sunlight, and without which nothing could live or grow.

    Uncle Robert's Geography (Uncle Robert's Visit, V.3) Nellie Lathrop Helm 1869

  • This fluid which we call sunlight intercommunicates between the entire opposing surface of sun and earth, unless interrupted by some temporary cause.

    New and Original Theories of the Great Physical Forces Henry Raymond Rogers 1861

  • Its tangible constituents, such as clouds, vapors, gases, are well understood; as well as the modifying influence of those atmospheric elements upon what we call sunlight, and sun-heat.

    New and Original Theories of the Great Physical Forces Henry Raymond Rogers 1861

  • Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis's principle that "sunlight" is the "best of disinfectants" is a major influence on contemporary public policy nearly everywhere except in his own profession.

    The Confidentiality Fetish 2004

  • Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis's principle that "sunlight" is the "best of disinfectants" is a major influence on contemporary public policy nearly everywhere except in his own profession.

    The Confidentiality Fetish 2004

  • A troll and a vampire would both be impervious except in sunlight (which a troll would merely survive) and a troll could crush the werewolf or zombie.

    Fantasy League. 2010

  • Sparkling, especially in the sunlight, is like a slap in the face to serious vampire fans.

    Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » A Glimpse into the Editor’s Office: Editing Twilight 2009

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