lilt

[lilt]

noun

1. rhythmic swing or cadence.

2. a lilting song or tune.

verb (used with or without object)

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

lilt

/ lɪlt /

noun

1. (in music) a jaunty rhythm

2. a buoyant motion

verb

1. (of a melody) to have a lilt

2. to move in a buoyant manner

Other Word Forms

• liltingly adverb
• liltingness noun
• lilting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lilt¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb lilte, lulte “to sound an alarm; lift up (one's voice)”; perhaps akin to Dutch, Low German lul “pipe,” lullen “to lull,” Norwegian lilla “to sing,” of imitative origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of lilt¹

C14 lulten, origin obscure

Example Sentences

There are several performance scenes that showcase Madekwe’s ability to croon in a convincing limber lilt but little engagement with his actual music.

From Los Angeles Times

But the result was thin, devoid of intonation or personality, and it had an American lilt.

From BBC

His mournful Ethiopian melodic lilt stood out like nothing else in Top 40, and he hung onto enough art-freak sensibility that he could headline the Super Bowl halftime show with dancers in full-face plastic-surgery bandages.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's lovely to hear Welsh being spoken. It's lovely to have the whole lilt, that wonderful sound. It's kind of a celebration of Wales as well."

From BBC

The director also leans nicely into interstitial shots that orient us without attitude, while her choice of music, led by Lesley Barber’s lilting score, is a real mood-setter of romance and melancholy.

From Los Angeles Times