Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

lilt en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /lɪlt/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English lilten, lulten.

Meanings

  1. An animated, brisk motion; a spirited rhythm; sprightliness.
  2. A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.
    • He was going away quite in despair, when a little old man, who was looking on with marks of displeasure in his face, came up to him, and telling him he was his friend, and his father's friend, bade him go into the ring and call for a lilt. 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 368:
  3. A cheerful or melodious accent or style in speaking.
    • The two works have the attractive lilt of Middle English, with all the remedies for bites of serpents and cures for eye troubles of the day. 1978, Keith Vincent Smith, The Illustrated Earth Garden Herbal, Melbourne: Thomas Nelson Australia, page 23, column 2:
    • Though Bane’s sing-song voice gives his pronouncements a funny lilt, he doesn’t have any of the Joker’s deranged wit, and Nolan isn’t interested in undercutting his seriousness for the sake of a breezier entertainment. July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club, The Dark Knight Rises (review)

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
lilts Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

brogue · drawl · lisp · twang

Translations (5)

pl rytm (melodious accent when speaking) · pl melodia (melodious accent when speaking) · cs melodičnost (řeči) (melodious accent when speaking) · nb tonefall (melodious accent when speaking) · cs rytmičnost (melodious accent when speaking)

lilt en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /lɪlt/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English lilten, lulten.

Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
    • Whether the bird flit here or there, O'er table lilt , or perch on chair a. 1851, William Wordsworth, “The Redbreast”, in Henry [Hope] Reed, editor, The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Philadelphia, Pa.: Hayes & Zell, […], published 1860, →OCLC:
  2. (intransitive) To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.
  3. (intransitive) To utter with spirit, animation, or gaiety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.
    • A classic lecture, rich in sentiment, / With scraps of thunderous epic lilted out / By violet-hooded doctors. 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
lilts Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
lilted Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
lilted Tense=Past lexicographic
lilting Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

lilt up

Translations (3)

pl śpiewać radośnie (to sing cheerfully) · he לזמר (to sing cheerfully) · de trällern (to sing cheerfully)