Silt
[silt]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Middle English, 15th century
1.
Fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment, especially in a channel or harbor.
Examples of Silt in a sentence
"The bottom of the pond was mostly silt and a few rocks."
"Chris has a special attachment for his pool vacuum to pick up silt so fine that it would otherwise clog the machine."
About Silt
“Silt” is a centuries-old word with uncertain origins, though it came into English through the Middle English words “silte” and “cylte,” which also indicate sediments left by water sources.
Did you Know?
There are many words similar to “silt” across northern European languages. In Norwegian and Dutch, the word “sylt” refers specifically to a “salt marsh,” as does the word “sylta” in Swedish. These words were preceded by the Middle Low German “sulte,” also meaning “salt marsh.” All are related to the Old English “sealt” (circa the 11th century), meaning “salt.” Between the 15th and 16th centuries, “silt” developed its modern meaning of fine sediment deposited by water.
