Webster's English Dictionaryenlightenment
en.light.en.ment \in -'li-t-*n-m*nt\ n 1: the act or means of enlightening : the state of being enlightened cap 2: a philosophic movement of the 18th century marked by questioning of trad itional doctrines and values, a tendency toward individualism, and an emphasis on the idea of universal human progress, the empirical method in science, and the free use of reason - used with the