Sight (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sighted; p. pr. & vb. n.Sighting.]

1. To get sight of; to see; as, to sight land; to sight a wreck. Kane.

2. To look at through a sight; to see accurately; as, to sight an object, as a star.

3. To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight; as, to sight a rifle or a cannon.

Sight , v. i. (Mil.) To take aim by a sight.

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.

-- Webster's unabridged 1913