lilt

American  

[lilt] / lɪlt /

noun

1. rhythmic swing or cadence.

2. a lilting song or tune.

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verb (used with or without object)

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

lilt British  

/ lɪlt /

noun

1. (in music) a jaunty rhythm

2. a buoyant motion

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verb

1. (of a melody) to have a lilt

2. to move in a buoyant manner

Other Word Forms

• lilting adjective
• liltingly adverb
• liltingness noun

Etymology

Origin of lilt

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

Example Sentences

He speaks with the same measured warmth as ever — that deep, lilting rumble that can shift from conspiratorial murmur to amused growl in a heartbeat — but he sometimes loses a name mid-thought.

From Los Angeles Times

Inside, an entire wall was taken up by a mural that Orozco commissioned a friend to paint, while popular Spanish songs lilted gently from a large TV.

From Los Angeles Times

“Oh, my God, I can’t even tell you what I’m feeling,” she says, the lilt of her Australian accent coming through.

From Los Angeles Times

On Sapphire - the album's best song - he enlists Indian superstar Arjit Singh for a duet, trading vocals in a mixture of English, Hindi and Punjabi over a lilting beat.

From BBC

Reflecting his heritage, the music is full of Afrobeat rhythms, log drums, spiritual mantras and lilting guitar lines.

From BBC