Definition

A faint light that is reflected from the Earth onto the Moon, making the dark part of the Moon visible.

Example

During the lunar eclipse, the Moon was illuminated by earthlight, allowing us to see its shadowed surface.

Conversation

Did you see the moon last night?

Yeah, it looked so bright!

I heard it was reflecting some earthlight too.

That makes sense; it was really beautiful!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Earthlight is formed from "earth" (from Old English "eorþe", meaning the ground or soil) and "light" (from Old English "leoht", meaning illumination or brightness). The word refers to the illumination that comes from the earth, often used in contexts like the light reflected from the moon or the glow of the earth itself.

Memory Tip

Think of 'earth' as the ground and 'light' as illumination — together, they describe the glow or brightness that comes from the earth.

Visually Confused Words