lilt

/lɪlt/

Etymology

From Middle English lilten, lulten.

lilt means animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.

Why this word is great

LILT — [Noun, Verb] A light, cheerful, and rhythmic quality in a voice, tune, or movement; to move or speak with such a quality. From Middle English lilten, lulten, of uncertain origin, possibly related to lifting the voice or from a dialectal word meaning to sound an alarm. Unlike “cadence,” which neutrally maps the topography of rhythm, or “traipse,” which denotes a weary, purposeless drag, a lilt is buoyant propulsion, a refusal of gravity. It is the specific skip in a step down a sunlit lane, the ascending turn at the end of an Irish singer’s phrase, and the way a fiddle tune seems to pull the dancers’ feet an inch above the floor—a small, persistent victory of levity over the accumulating weight of the world.

noun

Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.
A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.
A cheerful or melodious accent when speaking.“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.”

verb

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”
To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.
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.”