Sight (?), n. [OE. sight,
si?t, siht, AS. siht, gesiht,
gesih?, gesieh?, gesyh?; akin to D.
gezicht, G. sicht, gesicht, Dan. sigte,
Sw. sigt, from the root of E. see. See See,
v. t.] 1. The act of seeing;
perception of objects by the eye; view; as, to gain sight of
land.
A cloud received him out of their
sight.
Acts. i. 9.
2. The power of seeing; the faculty of vision,
or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes.
Thy sight is young,
And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle.
Shak.
O loss of sight, of thee I most
complain!
Milton.
3. The state of admitting unobstructed vision;
visibility; open view; region which the eye at one time surveys; space
through which the power of vision extends; as, an object within
sight.
4. A spectacle; a view; a show; something
worth seeing.
Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great
sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Ex. iii.
3.
They never saw a sight so fair.
Spenser.
5. The instrument of seeing; the
eye.
Why cloud they not their sights?
Shak.
6. Inspection; examination; as, a letter
intended for the sight of only one person.
7. Mental view; opinion; judgment; as, in
their sight it was harmless. Wake.
That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination
in the sight of God.
Luke xvi. 15.
8. A small aperture through which objects are
to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained;
as, the sight of a quadrant.
Thier eyes of fire sparking through sights of
steel.
Shak.
9. A small piece of metal, fixed or movable,
on the breech, muzzle, center, or trunnion of a gun, or on the breech
and the muzzle of a rifle, pistol, etc., by means of which the eye is
guided in aiming. Farrow.
10. In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of
the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the
border or margin. In a frame or the like, the open space, the
opening.
11. A great number, quantity, or sum; as, a
sight of money. [Now colloquial]
☞ Sight in this last sense was formerly employed in the
best usage. "A sight of lawyers." Latimer.
A wonder sight of flowers.
Gower.
At sight, as soon as seen, or presented to
sight; as, a draft payable at sight: to read Greek at
sight; to shoot a person at sight. -- Front
sight (Firearms), the sioht nearost the
ouzzle. -- Open sight. (Firearms)
(a) A front sight through which the objects aimed
at may be seen, in distinction from one that hides the object.
(b) A rear sight having an open notch instead of
an aperture. -- Peep sight, Rear
sight. See under Peep, and Rear. --
Sight draft, an order, or bill of exchange,
directing the payment of money at sight. -- To take
sight, to take aim; to look for the purpose of directing
a piece of artillery, or the like.
Syn. -- Vision; view; show; spectacle; representation;
exhibition.