brightest

1. 1
   adjective

   Superlative of bright.

   Sirius is the brightest star visible in the night sky.

   He was easily the brightest mind in the entire department.

   Note

   The top of the adjective's scale is built with -est, not with most: the brightest star, the brightest morning, the brightest room. It carries every sense bright has, from intense light and a gleaming surface to a well-lit place, fair weather or something figuratively conspicuous. Like most superlatives it usually follows the. The same spelling also belongs to the archaic thou-form of the verb, which never takes the.

2. 2
   verbarchaicBritish

   Second-person singular simple present indicative of bright.

   Thou brightest the chamber whensoever thou enterest.

   With every small kindness, thou brightest the lives of those around thee.

   Note

   Early modern English grammar survives here: thou takes a verb ending in -est, so thou brightest means "you light up" or "you make cheerful." The verb bright is itself a British dialect word, often followed by up, and can mean casting light or lifting someone's spirits. Outside deliberately old-fashioned writing, the everyday equivalent is you brighten.

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