:''See also
AIT and
oat''
An 'ait' (or 'eyot') is a small
island found in the middle of a
river or
lake. It is especially used to refer to islands found on the
River Thames in
England.
[1]
Aits are typically formed by the deposition of
sediment in the water, which accumulates over a period of time. An ait is characteristically long and narrow, and may become a permanent island. However, aits may also be eroded: the resulting sediment is deposited further downstream and could result in another ait. A channel with numerous aits is called a
braided channel.
The words "ait" and "eyot" are not common in modern
English, although a few famous writers have used it, including
J. R. R. Tolkien in his
Lord of the Rings books, and
Charles Dickens in
Bleak House. More recently, it was used by
Terry Pratchett in the first of the
Discworld books, "
The Color of Magic."
See also
★
Shoal
References
1. World Wide Words: Eyot