, ait - A small island in a river or lake is an eyot or ait. See also related terms for lake.

What does eyot mean?

An ait (/eɪt/, like eight) or eyot (/aɪ(ə)t, eɪt/) is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumulates.

Where does the word eyot come from?

It's from Old English iggath (or igeth), which is based on ieg, an island, plus a diminutive suffix. So it means a small island. As you might expect from its Old English credentials, it turns up in J R R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: “That night they camped on a small eyot close to the western bank”.