Silt is the fine mud and tiny sand that water carries along, then drops when the water slows down — at a bend in a river, at the mouth of a harbour, behind a dam. It feels smoother than coarse sand and grittier than sticky clay. After a flood you see a pale skin of it on fields and roads.

Silt is the fine mud and tiny sandsilt 是細泥和微小的沙 that water carries along,是水帶著移動的， then drops when the water slows down等水流變慢時就沉下來 — at a bend in a river, at the mouth of a harbour, behind a dam.──像是在河流的彎道、港口的出海口，或水壩後面。It feels smoother than coarse sand摸起來比粗沙滑， and grittier than sticky clay.又比黏土帶顆粒感。After a flood洪水過後， you see a pale skin of it你會看到一層淡淡的它 on fields and roads.覆蓋在田地和道路上。

Geologists use it as a size-word; boatmen and harbour workers use it as a nuisance-word, because silt fills channels and makes the water shallow.

Geologists use it as a size-word;地質學家把它當作一個大小分類的字來用； boatmen and harbour workers use it as a nuisance-word,船夫和港口工人則把它當作一個麻煩事的字來用， because silt fills channels and makes the water shallow.因為 silt 會把水道填滿，讓水變淺。

The noun is the common form. The verb is almost always silt up: a river or a port silts up when this stuff settles and blocks it. It is a quiet, practical word, not slang and not fancy.

The noun is名詞是 the common form.常見的用法。The verb is almost always silt up:動詞幾乎都是 silt up： a river or a port silts up一條河或一個港口會 silt up when this stuff settles and blocks it.當這些東西沉積下來、把它堵住的時候。It is a quiet, practical word,這是個低調、實用的字， not slang and not fancy.不是俚語，也不花俏。

Though actually, people say “mud” or “sand” for the same sight. Mud is wetter and vaguer; sand is coarser. Silt sits in the middle, and that is why the tidy school sentence is a little tidier than the riverbank, where it all mixes.

Though actually,不過其實， people say 'mud' or 'sand'大家也會說「mud」或「sand」 for the same sight.來指同樣的景象。Mud is wetter and vaguer;mud 比較濕、也比較模糊； sand is coarser.sand 則比較粗。Silt sits in the middle,silt 就介於中間， and that is why the tidy school sentence is a little tidier than the riverbank,這就是為什麼課本上整齊的定義，會比河岸邊的實際情況再整齊一點， where it all mixes.因為在河岸邊這些東西全都混在一起。