stilt
Plural: stilts
Noun
- a column of wood or steel or concrete that is driven into the ground to provide support for a structure
- 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"
- long-legged three-toed wading bird of brackish marshes of Australia
- long-legged three-toed black-and-white wading bird of inland ponds and marshes or brackish lagoons
- 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
Verb Forms: stilted, stilting, stilts
- To raise something on or as if on stilts.
- to raise on stilts, or as if on stilts
- to apply unnecessary pomp or formality
Examples
- He tried to STILT his score by placing a high-value letter on a bonus square.
Origin / Etymology
From 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.
Synonyms
Australian stilt, Himantopus stilt, long-legs, longlegs, pile, piling, spile, stilt plover, stiltbird
Scrabble Score: 5
stilt: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordstilt: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
stilt: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary