lilt

[lilt]

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noun

rhythmic swing or cadence.

a lilting song or tune.

verb (used with or without object)

to sing or play in a light, tripping, or rhythmic manner.

Nearby words

Origin of lilt

1300–50; Middle English lulte; perhaps akin to Dutch lul pipe, lullen to lull

Related formslilt·ing·ly, adverblilt·ing·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lilt

“I would expect that,” he says in a soft tenor voice, with the hint of a Southern lilt.
Better Than Fiction: The Rise, Fall, And Return of Webb Hubbell|Lloyd Grove|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Morris shares his side of the story, his voice whispers across the phone line, a gentle Southern lilt kissing every syllable.
The Man Who Fell for 'King Con'|Gina Piccalo|December 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST
His voice carries some of the Bavarian lilt of Werner Herzog, and he looks slightly like Daniel Day-Lewis when he laughs.
Tarantino's Glorious Nazi|Paul Cullum|August 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
“I was starting a new collection and feeling a little depressed,” the 45-year-old says with her strong Gallic lilt.
Michelle's Secret Weapon|Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni|June 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST

It was an old English dance, called a "Morris Dance," with a lilt and a tilt which set all feet a-going.
Operas Every Child Should Know|Mary Schell Hoke Bacon
They have a lilt of their own that is incompatible with ordinary music.
Contemporary American Composers|Rupert Hughes
Were I a bard, I would cast this tale in excited verse, with a lilt which would catch the speed of the reality.
Huntingtower|John Buchan
His verses have that grace and lilt that are the prime essentials to successful comic-opera libretto writing.
Eugene Field, A Study In Heredity And Contradictions|Slason Thompson
Through the window came to him the lilt of the fresh young voice.
The Fighting Edge|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for lilt

lilt

noun

(in music) a jaunty rhythm

a buoyant motion

verb (intr)

(of a melody) to have a lilt

to move in a buoyant manner

Derived Formslilting, adjective

Word Origin for lilt

C14 lulten, origin obscure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lilt

lilt

1510s, "to lift up" (the voice), probably from late 14c. West Midlands dialect lulten "to sound an alarm," of unknown origin. Possible relatives include Norwegian lilla "to sing" and Low German lul "pipe." It is possible that the whole loose group is imitative. Sense of "sing in a light manner" is first recorded 1786. Related: Lilted; lilting. As a noun, 1728, "lilting song," from the verb. As "rhythmical cadence," 1840.