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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A cheerful or lively manner of speaking, in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly.
  2. n. A light, happy tune or song.
  3. n. A light or resilient manner of moving or walking.
  4. v. To say, sing, or play (something) in a cheerful, rhythmic manner.
  5. v. To speak, sing, or play with liveliness or rhythm.
  6. v. To move with lightness and buoyancy.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To sound.
  2. To sing or play in snatches, and with easy, tripping grace, as a song or a tune; utter or pour forth with sprightliness, animation, or gaiety.
  3. To sing or play a tune in a sprightly, tripping manner; utter musical sounds flowingly and cheerfully.
  4. To do anything with dexterity or quickness; spring; hop.
  5. n. A snatch of a cheerful, lively song; a short, smooth-flowing, tripping air or tune.
  6. n. Hence Cadence; rhythmic swing or flow.
  7. To sway up and down, as a bird on a spray.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To do anything with animation and quickness, as to skip, fly, or hop.
  2. v. To sing cheerfully.
  3. v. To utter with spirit, animation, or gayety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.
  4. n. Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.
  5. n. A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To do anything with animation and quickness, as to skip, fly, or hop.
  2. v. To sing cheerfully.
  3. v. To utter with spirit, animation, or gayety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.
  4. n. Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.
  5. n. A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way
  2. n. a jaunty rhythm in music

Etymologies

  1. From Middle English lulten, lilten, to sound an alarm.

Examples

  • “Carl and Faith were already on their way through the early moonlight to Rainbow Valley, having heard therefrom the elfin lilt of Jerry's jew's-harp and having guessed that the Blythes were there and fun afoot.”

    Rainbow Valley

  • “One thing was, one of the other guitar players, Chad, started playing this lick against the line that Vic had, and it was - it was almost perverse because it had this kind of lilt to it.”

    NPR: Songs Of Survival And Reflection: 'At The Cut'

  • “Not that hearing her voice isn't always a melody for me, but there was a far more pronounced "lilt" in her greeting.”

    Stephanie Gertler: Hearts And Souls: A Family Deals With Grief

  • “The "lilt" of Tannahill's finest verse is even more charming.”

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary"

  • “A highly elaborated metrical system mainly distinguishes these writers, but some of page xiii their work catches a pleasing lilt which is supposed to represent the imitation of songs of the people.”

    Modern Spanish Lyrics

  • “When the chapters were reissued in America, the proofreader, warned by the presence of numerous other gross misprints, naturally corrected the meaningless "lilt" to the obvious and natural "tilt.”

    The Booklover and His Books

  • “Man, a've seen him tak a wee laddie on his knee that his ain mither cudna quiet, an 'lilt' Sing a song o 'saxpence' till the bit mannie would be lauchin 'like a gude are, an' pooin 'the doctor's beard.”

    A Doctor of the Old School — Complete

  • “Man, a've seen him tak a wee laddie on his knee that his ain mither cudna quiet, an 'lilt' Sing a song o 'saxpence' till the bit mannie wud be lauchin 'like a gude ane, an' pooin 'the doctor's beard.”

    Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush

  • “A kind of lilt is perceptible in many of the Skazkas, and traces of rhyme are often to be detected in them, but "The Mizgir's" mould is different from theirs.”

    Russian Fairy Tales A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore

  • “That will help you fit the triplet into the 'lilt' rhythm.”

    Mandolin Cafe News

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‘lilt’ has been looked up 2081 times, loved by 11 people, added to 67 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 4.