stilt (stilt)

t. [ The fluted columns [of San Moisé] are stilted upon pedestals, and their lines are broken by the bands which encircle them like broad barrel-hoops. Howells, Venetian Life, xviii. stilt-bird (stiltʼbėrd), n. 1. The stilt or stilt plover.-21. pl. Wading birds collectively; the grallatorial birds, constituting the old order Grallæ or Grallatores. Also called stilt - walkers. stilted (stil'ted), p. a. Elevated, as if on stilts; hence, pompous; inflated; formal; stiff and Stedman, Vict. Poets, p. 39. from the apparent or feigned imposts, as from the capitals of the supporting pillars, but from horizontal courses of masonry resting on these false imposts, as if the arch were Stilted Arch.-Mihrab in the Mosque of Sultan Ha an, Cairo. raised on stilts. Such arches occur frequently in all medieval styles, especially as a means of maintaining a uniform height when spans of different widths are used in the same range. Compare arch1 . stiltedne (stil'ted-nes), n. Stilted character; pompous stiffne . Athenæum , No. 3195, p. 94. stiltify (stil'ti-fi), v. t.; pret. and pp. stiltified , ppr. stiltifying . [ stilt +-i- fy .] To raise as on stilts; elevate or prop up, as with stilts. [Rare.] Skinny dwarfs ye are, cushioned and stiltified into great fat giants. C. Reade, Cloister and Hearth, lxv. Stilton cheese. See cheesel. stilt-petrel (stilt'petrel), n. A stormy petrel of the genus Fregetta: so called from the length of the legs. F. grallaria is an example. stilt-plover (stilt'pluv"èr), n. The stilt or stiltbird: so called because it has only three toes on each foot, like a plover.