First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1silt
noun \ˈsilt\
: sand, soil, mud, etc., that is carried by flowing water and that sinks to the bottom of a river, pond, etc.
Full Definition of SILT
1
: loose sedimentary material with rock particles usually 1⁄20 millimeter or less in diameter; also : soil containing 80 percent or more of such silt and less than 12 percent of clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
— silty \ˈsil-tē\ adjective
See silt defined for English-language learners
See silt defined for kids
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Origin of SILT
Middle English cylte, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect sylt beach flooded at high tide; akin to Old High German sulza salt marsh, Old English sealt salt
Other Geology Terms
2silt
verb
: to become blocked, filled, or covered with silt
: to block, fill, or cover (something) with silt
Full Definition of SILT
intransitive verb : to become choked or obstructed with silt —often used with up <the channel silted up>
transitive verb
: to choke, fill, cover, or obstruct with silt or mud
— sil·ta·tion \sil-ˈtā-shən\ noun
See silt defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of SILT
1799
Other Geology Terms
SILT[1] Defined for Kids
1silt
noun \ˈsilt\
Definition of SILT for Kids
1
: particles of small size left as sediment from water
2
: a soil made up mostly of silt and containing little clay
2silt
verb
silt·edsilt·ing
Definition of SILT for Kids
: to fill, cover, or block with silt
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