Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - stilt

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~e; akin to Old High German stelza ~  Date: 15th century  1.  a. one of two poles each with a rest or strap for the foot used to elevate the wearer above the ground in walking  b. a pile or post serving as one of the supports of a structure above ground or water level  2. plural also ~ any of several very long-legged 3-toed shorebirds (genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus) that are related to the avocets, frequent inland ponds and marshes, and nest in small colonies  II. transitive verb  Date: 1649 to raise on or as if on ~s