Lilten

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To sing or hum a tune in a light, cheerful way, especially in the manner of a dialect or folk song
2. Describing the act of singing softly and merrily under one's breath, with a rising and falling rhythm
3. Singing or humming a bright, lively melody in a gentle, bouncing style, as an archaic or regional usage

Etymology: In older English and Scots, "lilten" was a variant form of the verb that now survives as "lilt," meaning to sing or play in a light, cheerful, rhythmic way. Its spelling shows the same -en ending that many Middle English verbs carried, and the form was in use in northern and Scots writing long after it had faded from standard English. The word's ultimate source is uncertain. Dictionaries generally treat it as probably coming from a Scandinavian source, perhaps related to Scandinavian dialect words for lulling or humming, but no firm ancestor has been confirmed. What is clear is that the sense moved from vocal singing toward the sense of a rising and falling musical movement, which is why "lilt" now describes a bouncy rhythm in speech or a tune. The older verb and its variant spellings have largely been replaced by the modern form.