kilt

1 of 2

noun

1
: a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies
2
: a garment that resembles a Scottish kilt

kilt

2 of 2

verb

kilted; kilting; kilts

transitive verb

1
chiefly dialectal : to tuck up (something, such as a skirt)
2
: to equip with a kilt

intransitive verb

: to move nimbly

Examples of kilt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Tennant, a Scotsman who wears a kilt with glorious swagger, was born for the role. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 In the photo, King Charles wears a waistcoat and a suit jacket paired with a kilt made of King Charles III tartan. Escher Walcott, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025 The most popular current adaptation would be something like a kilt, a kind of men's skirt that incorporates this same knotted detail in the front. Nuria Luis, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2024 Readers who have encountered White before will not be surprised either to find mentions of kilts, and Proust. Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kilt

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse kjalta lap, fold of a gathered skirt

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilt was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilt. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

kilt

noun
ˈkilt
: a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland
kilted
ˈkil-təd
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on kilt

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