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silty

 - 4 dictionary results

silt

  [silt]
Use silty in a Sentence
–noun
1. earthy matter, fine sand, or the like carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment.
–verb (used without object)
2. to become filled or choked up with silt.
–verb (used with object)
3. to fill or choke up with silt.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME cylte gravel, perh. orig. salty deposit; cf. OE unsylt unsalted, unseasoned, sylting seasoning, syltan to salt, season, Norw sylt salty swamp, G Sülze salt marsh, brine

Related forms:
sil⋅ta⋅tion, noun
silty, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To silty
silt   (sĭlt)   
n.  A sedimentary material consisting of very fine particles intermediate in size between sand and clay.
v.   silt·ed, silt·ing, silts

v.   intr.
To become filled with silt: an old channel that silted up.
v.   tr.
To fill, cover, or obstruct with silt: River sediments gradually silted the harbor.

[Middle English cylte, probably of Scandinavian origin; see sal- in Indo-European roots.]
silt·a'tion n., silt'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

silt 
c.1440, originally "sediment deposited by seawater," probably from M.L.G. or M.Du. silte, sulte "salt marsh, brine," related to O.E. sealt, O.H.G. sulza "saltwater," Ger. Sulze "brine" (see salt). The verb meaning "to become choked with silt" (of river channels, harbors, etc.) is attested from 1799.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
silt   (sĭlt)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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