/stɪlt/
OriginFrom Middle English stilte, stulte, from Old English *stilte, *stylte, from Proto-Germanic *stiltijǭ, *staltijǭ, *stultijǭ (“stilt”), from Proto-Germanic *stelt- (“to be stiff”). Akin to Danish stylte, Dutch stelt, German Stelze.
- Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.
- A tall pillar or post used to support some structure; often above water.
- Any of various wading birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, related to the avocet, that have extremely long legs and long thin bills.
- A crutch.
- The handle of a plough.
“He[…]shot MacLaren when between the stilts of his plough,[…]”
- to raise on stilts, or as if on stilts
- to apply unnecessary pomp or formality
Formsstilts(plural) · stilts(present, singular, third-person) · stilting(participle, present) · stilted(participle, past) · stilted(past)