Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense silts, present participle silting, past tense, past participle silted
uncountable noun
Silt is fine sand, soil, or mud which is carried along by a river.
The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.
Synonyms: sediment, deposit, residue, ooze More Synonyms of silt
Phrasal verbs:
See silt up
silt in British English
(sɪlt)
noun
1.
a fine deposit of mud, clay, etc, esp one in a river or lake
verb
2. (usually foll by up)
to fill or become filled with silt; choke
Derived forms
siltation (silˈtation)
noun
silty (ˈsilty)
adjective
Word origin
C15: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian, Danish sylt salt marsh; related to Old High German sulza salt marsh; see salt
silt in American English
(sɪlt)
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
verb transitive, verb intransitive
3.
to fill, cover, or choke up with silt
SIMILAR WORDS: wash
Derived forms
siltation (silˈtation) (sɪlˈteɪʃən)
noun
Word origin
ME cylte, prob. < Scand, as in Norw & Dan dial. sylt, salt marsh, akin to OHG sulza, brine: for IE base see salt
Examples of 'silt' in a sentence
silt
One was said to be up to his shoulders in sand and silt.
The Sun (2011)
Lying between two rivers the meadow is sometimes flooded in winter which deposits fertile silt and inhibits frost.
Perring, Franklyn A Guide to Britain's Conservation Heritage (1991)
Another challenge for the seaside gardener is the soil, which often has a high content of sand or sandy silt.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Without grinding, new fine silt is not there to replace what's been removed in the crops.
Thompkins, Peter, Bird, Christopher Secrets of the Soil (1990)
In other languages
silt
British English: silt NOUN
Silt is fine sand, soil, or mud which is carried along by a river.
The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.
American English: silt
Brazilian Portuguese: sedimento
Chinese: 泥沙
European Spanish: sedimento
French: limon
German: Schlick
Italian: limo
Japanese: 沈泥
Korean: 침적토
European Portuguese: sedimento
Latin American Spanish: sedimento
(noun)
Definition
a fine sediment of mud or clay deposited by moving water
The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.
Synonyms
sediment
ocean sediments
deposit
A powdery deposit had settled at the bottom of the glass.
residue
ooze
He thrust his hand into the ooze and brought out a large toad.
sludge
All dumping of sludge will be banned.
alluvium
phrasal verb
See silt something up
Additional synonyms
in the sense of deposit
A powdery deposit had settled at the bottom of the glass.
Synonyms
sediment,
grounds,
residue,
lees,
precipitate,
deposition,
silt,
dregs,
alluvium,
settlings
in the sense of ooze
Definition
a soft thin mud, such as that found at the bottom of a lake, river, or sea
He thrust his hand into the ooze and brought out a large toad.