silt

[silt] /sɪlt/

noun

earthy matter, fine sand, or the like carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment.

verb (used without object)

to become filled or choked up with silt.

verb (used with object)

to fill or choke up with silt.

Origin

1400-50; late Middle English cylte gravel, perhaps orig. salty deposit; compare Old English unsylt unsalted, unseasoned, sylting seasoning, syltan to salt, season, Norwegian sylt salty swamp, German Sülze salt marsh, brine

Related forms

siltation, noun

silty, adjective

desilt, verb (used with object)

Can be confused

sand, sediment, silt.

Examples from the web for silt

And the natural process of silt replenishing the delta would be needed to protect that part of the city.
silt is full of nutrients that help microbes and plants grow.
The areas outside of the channels were probably dominated by mud and silt.
Opponents predict that the turbines will silt up and that the dams will produce only half the energy advertised.
When floodwaters recede, affected areas are often blanketed in silt and mud.
Large dams always silt up, and their capacity reduces as silt is deposited.
Most are sinking naturally, as recently deposited silt compresses over time.
By blocking a river's flow, they prevent silt reaching the lower basin.
Similarly, silted-in reservoirs can be dredged for fertile silt.
For many years, it had been filled with tons of garbage and silt.

British Dictionary definitions for silt

silt

/sɪlt/

noun

a fine deposit of mud, clay, etc, esp one in a river or lake

verb

(usually foll by up) to fill or become filled with silt; choke

Derived Forms

siltation, noun
silty, adjective

Word Origin

C15: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian, Danish sylt salt marsh; related to Old High German sulza salt marsh; see salt

Word Origin and History for silt

mid-15c., originally "sediment deposited by seawater," probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian and Danish sylt "salt marsh"), or from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch silte, sulte "salt marsh, brine," from Proto-Germanic *sultjo- (cf. Old English sealt, Old High German sulza "saltwater," German Sulze "brine"), from PIE *sal- (see salt (n.)).

"to become choked with silt" (of river channels, harbors, etc.), 1799, from silt (n.). Related: Silted; silting.

silt in Science

silt

(sĭlt)
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.