Word Study
silt
CIDE DICTIONARY
silt, n. [OE. silte gravel, fr. silen to drain, E. sile; probably of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. sila, prob. akin to AS. seón to filter, sīgan to fall, sink, cause to sink, G. seihen to strain, to filter, OHG. s, Icel. s, Skr. sic to pour; cf. Gr. 'ikma`s moisture. Cf. Sig, Sile.].
Mud or fine earth deposited from running or standing water. [1913 Webster]
silt, v. t.
To choke, fill, or obstruct with silt or mud. [1913 Webster]
silt, v. i.
To flow through crevices; to percolate. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
silt, n. & v.
--n. sediment deposited by water in a channel, harbour, etc.
--v.tr. & intr. (often foll. by up) choke or be choked with silt.
--n. sediment deposited by water in a channel, harbour, etc.
--v.tr. & intr. (often foll. by up) choke or be choked with silt.
Derivative
siltation n. silty adj.
Etymology
ME, perh. rel. to Da., Norw. sylt, OLG sulta, OHG sulza salt marsh, formed as SALT
THESAURUS
silt
alluvion, alluvium, ash, cinder, clinker, debris, deposit, deposition, deposits, detritus, diluvium, draff, dregs, drift, dross, ember, feces, froth, grounds, lees, loess, moraine, offscum, ooze, precipitate, precipitation, scoria, scree, scum, sediment, settlings, sinter, slag, sludge, smut, soot, sublimateROGET THESAURUS
silt
Uncleanness
N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.For further exploring for "silt" in Webster Dictionary Online
