ait

Definition

An island in a river, especially the River Thames in England.

Etymology

From Middle English eyt, eit, from Old English īġeoþ, īgoþ, iggaþ, iggoþ (“ait, eyot, islet, small island”), diminutive of īġ, ēġ, īeġ (“island”). More at eyot.

Example Sentences

• "The ait where the osiers grew."
• "‘[H]e the said seigneur, in quality of Lord Paramount, is to all intents and purposes invested with the sole right and property of the river running through his fief, together with […] all the islands and aits within it.’"
• "1833, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Autobiography: Truth and Fiction Relating to My Life trans. John Oxenford, book 9, Striking richness of vegetation which follows in the windings of the Rhine, marks its banks, islands, and aits."