silt

1 of 2

noun

1
: loose sedimentary material with rock particles usually ¹/₂₀ millimeter or less in diameter
also : soil containing 80 percent or more of such silt and less than 12 percent of clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
silty adjective

silt

2 of 2

verb

silted; silting; silts

intransitive verb

: to become choked or obstructed with silt
often used with up
the channel silted up

transitive verb

: to choke, fill, cover, or obstruct with silt or mud
siltation noun

Examples of silt in a Sentence

Verb The entrance to the creek had silted shut.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
After the Mary Rose came to rest at the bottom of a strait in the English Channel, a layer of silt cloaked the ship and the hundreds of crew who died on board. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024 If disturbed, the silt and algae would’ve made the photograph difficult to take and Gross’ subjects hard to see, the museum said. Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes. Erica Gies, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018 All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz. Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for silt 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cylte, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect sylt beach flooded at high tide; akin to Old High German sulza salt marsh, Old English sealt salt

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1799, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of silt was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near silt

Cite this Entry

“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silt. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

silt

1 of 2 noun
1
: very small particles left as sediment from water
also : a soil made up mostly of silt with little clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
silty adjective

silt

2 of 2 verb
: to make or become choked, blocked, filled, or covered with silt
the river channel silted up
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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