noun
1.
rhythmic swing or cadence.
2.
a lilting song or tune.
verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
3.
to sing or play in a light, tripping, or rhythmic manner.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English lulte; perhaps akin to Dutch lul pipe, lullen to lull
1300–50; Middle English lulte; perhaps akin to Dutch lul pipe, lullen to lull
Related forms
lilt·ing·ly, adverb
lilt·ing·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To lilt
Collins
World English Dictionary
lilt (lɪlt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (in music) a jaunty rhythm |
| 2. | a buoyant motion |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (of a melody) to have a lilt |
| 4. | to move in a buoyant manner |
| [C14 lulten, origin obscure] | |
| 'lilting | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Lilt
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
lilt
1510s, "to lift up" (the voice), probably from late 14c. W. Midlands dial. lulten "to sound an alarm," of unknown origin. Possible relatives include Norw. lilla "to sing" and Low Ger. lul "pipe." It is possible that the whole loose group is imitative. Sense of "sing in a light manner" is first recorded
1786.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Yet they have more lilt and frolic in them than if they had been written last year.
There is no lilt in the tone of these seven syllables, but a drop in register, a recitation born of resignation.
The right length and lilt of a sentence will let your reader take your meaning from it, and take it with pleasure.
There was a kind of spring and lilt to it, quite indescribable by words.
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