lightening

light·en ¹  (ltn)

v. light·ened, light·en·ing, light·ens

v.tr.

1.

a. To make light or lighter; illuminate or brighten.

b. To make (a color) lighter.

2. Archaic To enlighten.

v.intr.

1. To become lighter; brighten.

2. To be luminous; shine.

3. To give off flashes of lightning.

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light·en ²  (ltn)

v. light·ened, light·en·ing, light·ens

v.tr.

1. To make less heavy.

2. To lessen the oppressiveness, trouble, or severity of. See Synonyms at relieve.

3. To relieve of cares or worries; gladden.

v.intr.

1. To become less in weight.

2. To become less oppressive, troublesome, or severe.

3. To become cheerful.

Phrasal Verb:

lighten up Informal

To take matters less seriously: Everything will work out fine, so stop worrying and lighten up.

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The operation (normally carried out at anchor) of transferring crude oil cargo from a large tanker to a smaller tanker, so reducing the draft of the larger tanker to enable it to enter port.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	lightening - descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity that occurs late in pregnancy; the fetus is said to have dropped descent - a movement downward
	2.	lightening - changing to a lighter color whitening change of color - an act that changes the light that something reflects bleach - the act of whitening something by bleaching it (exposing it to sunlight or using a chemical bleaching agent)