silt

American  

[silt] / sɪlt /

noun

1. earthy matter, fine sand, or the like carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment.

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verb (used without object)

silts, present (3rd person singular) silted, past participle, past silting present participle

1. to become filled or choked up with silt.

verb (used with object)

silts, present (3rd person singular) silted, past participle, past silting present participle

1. to fill or choke up with silt.

silt British  

/ sɪlt /

noun

1. a fine deposit of mud, clay, etc, esp one in a river or lake

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verb

1. (usually foll by up) to fill or become filled with silt; choke

silt Scientific  

/ sĭlt /

1. A sedimentary material consisting of grains or particles of disintegrated rock, smaller than sand and larger than clay. The diameter of the particles ranges from 0.0039 to 0.0625 mm. Silt is often found at the bottom of bodies of water where it accumulates slowly by settling through the water.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• siltation
  noun
• silty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• silting
  present
• silted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• silt
  simple
• silts
  simple
• have silted
  perfect
• has silted
  perfect
• am silting
  progressive
• are silting
  progressive
• is silting
  progressive
• have been silting
  perfect progressive
• has been silting
  perfect progressive

Past

• silted
  simple
• had silted
  perfect
• was silting
  progressive
• were silting
  progressive
• had been silting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will silt
  simple
• will have silted
  perfect
• will be silting
  progressive
• will have been silting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of silt

1400–50; late Middle English cylte gravel, perhaps originally salty deposit; compare Old English unsylt unsalted, unseasoned, sylting seasoning, syltan to salt, season, Norwegian sylt salty swamp, German Sülze salt marsh, brine

Explanation

Silt is the fine bits of clay and sand that become sediment settling at the bottom of a river or lake. If there's a lot of silt flowing in a river, it looks murky. Silt is the super-fine dirt that you might see at the bottom of a lake or river. When your feet touch silt it feels slimy, and once it’s stirred it up the water looks muddy. Where the Mississippi River enters the Gulf of Mexico, a lot of silt has been deposited and over time has built up a portion of land called the Mississippi Delta. The region surrounding this accumulation of silt is home to music called the Delta Blues.

Example Sentences

Rep. Lauren Boebert and her ex-husband Jayson Boebert at a restaurant, police in Silt, Colorado, confirmed Sunday.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2024

Silt will be removed from the lake and a new boardwalk installed.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2023

Silt that had collected in houses along the river bed was also slowing rescue work.

From Reuters • Oct. 5, 2023

Silt and debris still covered some roadways, and Gene Autry Trail remained barricaded.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2023

Silt swirled through empty courtyards with abalone floors.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• residue
• sand