silt Hear it!

silt definition

silt (silt)

noun

  1. sediment suspended in stagnant water or carried by moving water, that often accumulates on the bottom of rivers, bays, etc., esp. such sediment with particles smaller than sand and larger than clay
  2. soil composed of 80 percent or more silt and less than 12 percent clay

Etymology: ME cylte, prob. < Scand, as in Norw & Dan dial. sylt, salt marsh, akin to OHG sulza, brine: for IE base see salt

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to fill, cover, or choke up with silt

Related Forms:

  • siltation sil·ta′·tion (sil tā′s̸hən) noun

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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