Added 9 October 2026
tilt
/tɪlt/ noun
In Latin: inclīnō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tilt at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A combat between two mounted knights tilting against each other with blunted lances.
-
A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement.
they were involved in a violent argument
-
A slight but noticeable partiality.
the court's tilt toward conservative rulings
verb
Origin
From Middle English tilte, from Old English *tyltan, *tieltan (“to be unsteady”), related to the adjective tealt (“unsteady”), from Proto-West Germanic *talt, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”), see also Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Cognate with Icelandic tölt (“an ambling pace”). The nominal sense of "a joust" appears around 1510, presumably derived from the barrier which separated the combatants, which suggests connection with tilt "covering". The modern transitive meaning is from 1590; the intransitive use appears 1620. The sense of gaming frustration is said to originate with pinball.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)