Ait
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2008-06-29T22:08:13Z
Olessi
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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)]]