Ait 1923411 222540862 2008-06-29T22:08:13Z Olessi 220894 de :''See also [[AIT]] and [[oat]]'' [[Image:Bush Eyot upstream side (Nancy).JPG|thumb|right|Bush Ait on the River Thames in Berkshire]] {{wiktionarypar|ait}} 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]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-eyo1.htm | title = World Wide Words: Eyot}}</ref> 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 language|English]], although a few famous writers have used it, including [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] in his ''[[The Lord of the Rings|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 Colour of Magic]]''. ==See also== *[[Shoal]] ==References== {{Reflist}} [[Category:Islands of England]] [[Category:Islands in the River Thames]] [[Category:Fluvial landforms]] {{topography-stub}} {{England-stub}} [[de:Werder (Landschaft)]]