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stilt (stĭlt)
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n.
1. Either of a pair of long, slender poles each equipped with a raised footrest to enable the user to walk elevated above the ground.
2. Any of various tall posts or pillars used as support, as for a dock or building:a beach house on stilts.
3. Any of several shorebirds of the widely distributed genus Himantopus or the Australian genus Cladorhynchus that have long pink legs, usually black-and-white plumage, and a long slender bill.
tr.v.stilt·ed, stilt·ing, stilts
To place or raise on stilts.

[Middle Englishstilte; see stel- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
(click for a larger image)
(click for a larger image)
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stilt
top: walking stilts
center: structural stilts
bottom: black-winged stilt
Himantopus himantopus

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.