STILT

stilt, stiltbird, longlegs, long-legs, stilt plover, Himantopus stilt

(noun) long-legged three-toed black-and-white wading bird of inland ponds and marshes or brackish lagoons

stilt, Australian stilt

(noun) long-legged three-toed wading bird of brackish marshes of Australia

pile, spile, piling, stilt

(noun) a column of wood or steel or concrete that is driven into the ground to provide support for a structure

stilt

(noun) one of two stout poles with foot rests in the middle; used for walking high above the ground; “he was so tall I thought he was on stilts”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

stilt (plural stilts)

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.

Verb

stilt (third-person singular simple present stilts, present participle stilting, simple past and past participle stilted)

to raise on stilts, or as if on stilts

Anagrams

• Litts, tilts

Source: Wiktionary


Stilt, n. Etym: [OE. stilte; akin to Dan. stylte, Sw. stylta, LG. & D. stelt, OHG. stelza, G. stelze, and perh. to E. stout.]

1. A pole, or piece of wood, constructed with a step or loop to raise the foot above the ground in walking. It is sometimes lashed to the leg, and sometimes prolonged upward so as to be steadied by the hand or arm. Ambition is but avarice on stilts, and masked. Landor.

2. A crutch; also, the handle of a plow. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

3. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any species of limicoline birds belonging to Himantopus and allied genera, in which the legs are remarkably long and slender. Called also longshanks, stiltbird, stilt plover, and lawyer.

Note: The American species (Himantopus Mexicanus) is well known. The European and Asiatic stilt (H. candidus) is usually white, except the wings and interscapulars, which are greenish black. The white-headed stilt (H. leucocephalus) and the banded stilt (Cladorhynchus pectoralis) are found in Australia. Stilt plover (Zoöl.), the stilt.

– Stilt sandpiper (Zoöl.), an American sandpiper (Micropalama himantopus) having long legs. The bill is somewhat expanded at the tip.

Stilt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stilted; p. pr. & vb. n. Stilting.]

Definition: To raise on stilts, or as if on stilts.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

29 March 2024

FAULTFINDING

(adjective) tending to make moral judgments or judgments based on personal opinions; “a counselor tries not to be faultfinding”


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