Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A cheerful or lively manner of speaking, in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly.
- noun A light, happy tune or song.
- noun A light or resilient manner of moving or walking.
- intransitive verb To say, sing, or play (something) in a cheerful, rhythmic manner.
- intransitive verb To speak, sing, or play with liveliness or rhythm.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A snatch of a cheerful, lively song; a short, smooth-flowing, tripping air or tune.
- noun Hence Cadence; rhythmic swing or flow.
- To sway up and down, as a bird on a spray.
- To sound.
- 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.
- To sing or play a tune in a sprightly, tripping manner; utter musical sounds flowingly and cheerfully.
- To do anything with dexterity or quickness; spring; hop.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To utter with spirit, animation, or gayety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.
- noun Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.
- noun A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.
- intransitive verb Prov. Eng. To do anything with animation and quickness, as to skip, fly, or hop.
- intransitive verb Scot. To sing cheerfully.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To do something
rhythmically , withanimation and quickness, usually of music. - verb To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.
- verb To utter with spirit, animation, or
gaiety ; to sing with spirit and liveliness. - noun Animated, brisk
motion ; spiritedrhythm ;sprightliness . - noun A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.
- noun A cheerful or
melodious accent when speaking.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way
- noun a jaunty rhythm in music
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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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 Lucy Maud 1919
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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 2009
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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.
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The "lilt" of Tannahill's finest verse is even more charming.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" Various
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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.
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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 Harry Lyman Koopman 1898
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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 Ian Maclaren 1878
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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 Ian Maclaren 1878
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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 — Volume 4 Ian Maclaren 1878
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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 William Ralston Shedden Ralston 1858
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