spelt

¹

[ spelt ]

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of spell ¹.

spelt

²

[ spelt ]

noun

1. one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, Triticum aestivum spelta, native to southern Europe and western Asia, used for livestock feed and as a grain for human consumption.

spelt

¹

/ spɛlt /

noun

1. a species of wheat, Triticum spelta, that was formerly much cultivated and was used to develop present-day cultivated wheats

spelt

²

/ spɛlt /

verb

1. See spell
   a past tense and past participle of spell 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelt¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English from Late Latin spelta, probably from Germanic; compare Old High German spelza ( German Spelt )

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelt¹

Old English; related to Old Saxon spelta, Old High German spelza

Example Sentences

As for the composition of the bread, it was likely made of common wheat and not spelt, as many historians postulate.

From Popular-Science

I too was taught the trade of man  And spelt the lesson plain; But they, when I forgot and ran,  Remembered and remain.

From The Daily Beast

“ROMA” is a story about betrayal, but it was only after I finished writing it that I realized “ROMA” was AMOR spelt backwards.

From The Daily Beast

The party was in despair, and Cameron brilliantly spelt out the need for change.

From The Daily Beast

If he spelt it ethiques, no printer would have blundered and substituted checks.

From Project Gutenberg

I have therefore re-spelt it throughout, so as to shew the right pronunciation.

From Project Gutenberg

Better spelt pannage or paunage (Manwood has pawnage), as cited in Blount's Nomolexicon.

From Project Gutenberg

The first man who handed on the name Wilson (or Willson, as it is still sometimes spelt) was himself the "son of Will."

From Project Gutenberg

Shakespeare refers to elves as ouphes, which is the same word as oaf and was formerly spelt aulf.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cereal
• grass

Is Spelt A Word?

And is spelt in the dictionary?

Spelt is a word. It is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb spell, as in She spelt all the words correctly on the spelling test. Spelt causes some confusion because spelled is also a valid form of the past tense and past participle of spell, as in They spelled the science terms with care to avoid mistakes. Spelled is the more common past tense form of spell.

What’s the past tense of spell?

The past tense of spell can be either spelt or spelled, but spelled is much more commonly used.