silt

1 of 2

noun

ˈsilt 

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

ˈsil-tē 

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

sil-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Examples of silt in a Sentence

Verb

The entrance to the creek had silted shut.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

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

Kids Definition

silt

1 of 2 noun

ˈsilt 

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

ˈsil-tē 

adjective

silt

2 of 2 verb

: to make or become choked, blocked, filled, or covered with silt

the river channel silted up