stilt Hear it!

stilt Definition

stilt (stilt)

noun

  1. either of a pair of poles, each with a footrest somewhere along its length, used for walking with the feet above the ground, as by children at play, by acrobats, etc.
  2. any of a number of long posts or piles used to hold a building, etc. above the ground or out of the water
  3. pl. stilts or stilt any of several shorebirds (family Recurvirostridae) with a long, slender bill, long legs, and three-toed feet; esp., the black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), living chiefly in marshes and ponds of temperate North America and N South America

Etymology: ME stilte, prob. < MLowG or MDu stelte, akin to Ger stelze: for base see still

stilt Synonyms

stilt

n.

shore, prop, post; see brace 1, support 2.

stilt Usage Examples

Object

  • bit: Some of his language is a bit stilted at times, and there are some places where his precise meaning isn't clear.

Modifying Another Word

  • somewhat: Actually, the nineteenth century text, tho somewhat stilted to modern ears, was not so difficult a read as might be thought.
  • rather: Consequently, an unnatural, rather stilted way of speaking would be required that the users may tire of quickly.
  • little: First of all you've got your movement, which initially seems a little stilted on the ground.
  • slightly: Policeman's English is the archetype: the slightly stilted " jobsworth " version of local dialect.
  • very: To begin with, there's the constant use of the word one, which I find very stilted now.