limelight

English

Etymology

From lime +‎ light.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪm.laɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

limelight (countable and uncountable, plural limelights)

1. A type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls, producing a bright light by the use of incandescent quicklime.
2. (by extension) Attention, notice, a starring or central role, present fame.
   • 1994, 0:41 from the start, in Juicy‎^[1] (Hip Hop), spoken by The Notorious B.I.G.:

     Remember Rappin' Duke? Duh-ha, duh-ha
     You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far
     Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight
     Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade

Derived terms

• in the limelight
• steal the limelight

Translations

type of stage lighting

• Catalan: llum de calç m, llum de prosceni m, bateria (ca) f
• Czech: reflektor (cs) m
• Dutch: kalklicht (nl) n
• Finnish: kalkkivalo
• French: feux de la rampe (fr)
• Georgian: რამპის შუქი (ramṗis šuki), დრამონდის სინათლე (dramondis sinatle)
• German: Rampenlicht (de) n, Kalklicht n
• Italian: lucci della rabata pl, luci della ribalta
• Japanese: フットライト (futtoraito), ライムライト (raimuraito), 脚光 (ja) (kyakkō)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kalklys (no) n

  Nynorsk: kalklys n

• Portuguese: ribalta (pt), luz de Drummond f, luz oxídrica f
• Russian: свет ра́мпы (svet rámpy)
• Spanish: luz serena f, luz de candilejas f
• Swedish: kalkljus (sv) n

attention or notice

• Albanian: qendër e vëmendjes
• Bulgarian: център на внимание m (centǎr na vnimanie)
• Catalan: centre d'atenció m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聚光燈／聚光灯 (zh) (jùguāngdēng)

• Dutch: spotlicht (nl) n
• Finnish: parrasvalot (fi) pl
• Georgian: ყურადღების ცენტრი (q̇uradɣebis cenṭri)
• German: Rampenlicht (de) n
• Greek: δημοσιότητα (el) (dimosiótita)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: rampelys n

  Nynorsk: rampelys n

• Portuguese: destaque (pt) m, ribalta (pt) f
• Russian: центр внима́ния m (centr vnimánija)
• Swedish: rampljus (sv) n

Verb

limelight (third-person singular simple present limelights, present participle limelighting, simple past and past participle limelighted or limelit)

1. to illuminate with limelight

See also

• public eye