Category:Flight

Flight, n. Etym: [AS. fliht, flyht, a flying, fr. fleógan to fly; cf. flyht a fleeing, fr. fleón to flee, G. flucht a fleeing, Sw. flykt, G. flug a flying, Sw. flygt, D. vlugt a fleeing or flying, Dan. flugt. sq. root84. See Flee, Fly.]

1. The act or flying; a passing through the air by the help of wings; volitation; mode or style of flying. Like the night owl's lazy flight. Shak.

2. The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape or expected evil; hasty departure. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. Matt. xxiv. 20. Fain by flight to save themselves. Shak.

3. Lofty elevation and excursion;a mounting; a soaas, a flight of imagination, ambition, folly. Could he have kept his spirit to that flight, He had been happy. Byron. His highest flights were indeed far below those of Taylor. Macaulay.

4. A number of beings or things passing through the air together; especially, a flock of birds flying in company; the birds that fly or migrate together; the birds produced in one season; as, a flight of arrows. Swift. Swift flights of angels ministrant. Milton. Like a flight of fowl Scattered winds and tempestuous gusts. Shak.

5. A series of steps or stairs from one landing to another. Parker.

6. A kind of arrow for the longbow; also, the sport of shooting with it. See Shaft. [Obs.] Challenged Cupid at the flight. Shak. Not a flight drawn home E'er made that haste that they have. Beau. & Fl.

7. The husk or glume of oats. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. to take a flight{9}. Flight feathers (Zoöl.), the wing feathers of a bird, including the quills, coverts, and bastard wing. See Bird. -- To put to flight, To turn to flight, to compel to run away; to force to flee; to rout.

Syn. -- Pair; set. See Pair.