Origin: Germanic Old English suffix
Flight has 16 different meanings across 2 categories:
a formation of aircraft in flight
"The pilot adjusted his wings to maintain position within the tight formation known as a combat flight."
a stairway (set of steps) between one floor or landing and the next
"The old building has narrow flights that creak loudly underfoot when you walk across them."
an air force unit smaller than a squadron
"The pilot reported that his flight was scrambled to intercept the unauthorized drone."
passing above and beyond ordinary bounds
"a flight of fancy"
"flights of rhetoric"
"flights of imagination"
the path followed by an object moving through space
"The scientist adjusted the telescope to track the faint flight of the satellite as it re-entered the atmosphere."
a flock of flying birds
"The sudden whoosh of wings signaled that an entire flight of pigeons had taken off from the rooftop garden."
The act of flying.
"After hearing the loud bang, the children immediately took flight and ran into the woods."
The act of fleeing.
In plain English: Flight is when an animal or vehicle moves through the air.
"The flight from London to Paris left on time yesterday."
Usage: Use "flight" to describe the physical act of running away or escaping from danger, such as in the phrase "put to flight." Do not use it to mean an airplane journey unless specifically referring to the departure phase of that trip.
shoot a bird in flight
"The hunter aimed carefully to shoot a duck while it was still flying overhead."
To throw the ball in such a way that it has more airtime and more spin than usual.
"The pitcher decided to flight the fastball over the batter's head to avoid a foul tip."
In plain English: To fly is to move through the air without touching the ground.
"The bird took flight when it saw the approaching storm."
Usage: Use "flight" as a verb to describe throwing a baseball with extra backspin so it stays in the air longer than a normal pitch. This term is specific to baseball and should not be used for other types of throws or general flying.
Fast, swift, fleet.
"His flight down the hallway was so fast that he disappeared before anyone could react."
In plain English: Flight as an adjective describes something that is made of light, airy materials so it can float or fly through the air.
"The flight attendant served us drinks on our long flight to London."
Usage: Use "flight" only after the verb "go on," as in "go on flight," to mean traveling by air. It is not an adjective that can directly modify nouns like a "flight car."
The word flight comes from Old English and originally meant an act of flying away. It is ultimately derived from a root meaning "to fly," which itself relates to the concept of flowing.