In starship classification, a light cruiser is a small- to medium-sized multi-purpose starship.
The 24th century starship USS Drake] was designated a light cruiser. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom")
Background
According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, the Template:ShipClass was also classified as a light cruiser, as was the Template:ShipClass. During the Dominion War a variant type of light cruiser was built from an Intrepid-class primary hull. Another type of light cruiser used in the Dominion War was a variant of the Template:ShipClass of starship, a saucer with two warp nacelles.
While the Technical Manual itself is not canon, it is a Memory Alpha permitted resource.