Chapter CDXLV: Prologue (96)

1. The act of swaying; a swaying motion; the swing or sweep of a weapon. With huge two-handed sway brandished aloft. Milton.

2. Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side; as, the sway of desires. A. Tucker.

3. Preponderance; turn or cast of balance. Expert When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway Of battle. Milton.

4. Rule; dominion; control. Cowper. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, The post of honor is a private station. Addison.

5. A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Syn. -- Rule; dominion; power; empire; control; influence; direction; preponderance; ascendency.

SWAY-BACKED Sway"-backed`, a.

Defn: Having the back hollow or sagged, whether naturally or as the result of injury or weakness; -- said of horses and other animals.

SWAY BAR Sway bar. (Vehicles) (a) A bar attached to the hounds, in the rear of the front axle, so as to slide on the reach as the axle is swung in turning the vehicle. (b) Either of the two bars used in coupling the front and rear sleds of a logging sled; also, the bar used to couple two logging cars.

SWAY-BRACING Sway"-bra`cing, n. (Engin.)

Defn: The horizontal bracing of a bridge, which prevents its swaying.

SWAYED Swayed, a.

Defn: Bent down, and hollow in the back; sway-backed; -- said of a horse. Shak.

SWAYFUL Sway"ful, a.

Defn: Able to sway. [R.] Rush.

SWAYING Sway"ing, n.

Defn: An injury caused by violent strains or by overloading; -- said of the backs of horses. Crabb.

SWEAL Sweal, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swealed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swealing.] Etym: [OE. swelen to burn, AS. swelan; akin to G. schwelen to burn slowly, schwül sultry, Icel. svæla a thick smoke.]

Defn: To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; to waste away without feeding the flame. [Written also swale.] Sir W. Scott.

SWEAL Sweal, v. t.

Defn: To singe; to scorch; to swale; as, to sweal a pig by singeing off the hair.

SWEAR Swear, v. i. [imp. Swore, formerly Sware (; p. p. Sworn; p. pr. & vb. n. Swearing.] Etym: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwören, Icel. sverja, Sw. svärja, Dan. sværge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. *177. Cf. Answer.]

1. To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed; to make a promise, threat, or resolve on oath; also, to affirm solemnly by some sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the Bible, the Koran, etc. Ye shall swear by my name falsely. Lev. xix. 12. I swear by all the Roman gods. Shak.

2. (Law)

Defn: To give evidence on oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement; he swore against the prisoner.

3. To make an appeal to God in an irreverant manner; to use the name of God or sacred things profanely; to call upon God in imprecation; to curse. [I] swore little; diced not above seven times a week. Shak. To swear by, to place great confidence in a person or thing; to trust implicitly as an authority. "I simply meant to ask if you are one of those who swear by Lord Verulam." Miss Edgeworth. -- To swear off, to make a solemn vow, or a serious resolution, to abstain from something; as, to swear off smoking. [Slang]

SWEAR Swear, v. t.

1. To utter or affirm with a solemn appeal to God for the truth of the declaration; to make (a promise, threat, or resolve) under oath. Swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me. Gen. xxi. 23. He swore consent to your succession. Shak.

2. (Law)

Defn: To put to an oath; to cause to take an oath; to administer an oath to; -- ofetn followed by in or into; as, to swear witnesses; to swear a jury; to swear in an officer; he was sworn into office.

3. To declare or charge upon oath; as, he swore treason against his friend. Johnson.

4. To appeal to by an oath. Now, by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain. Shak. To swear the peace against one, to make oath that one is under the actual fear of death or bodily harm from the person, in which case the person must find sureties that he will keep the peace.

SWEARER Swear"er, n.

1. One who swears; one who calls God to witness for the truth of his declaration.

2. A profane person; one who uses profane language. Then the liars and swearers are fools. Shak.

SWEARING Swear"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Swear, v. Idle swearing is a cursedness. Chaucer.

SWEAT Sweat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sweat or Sweated (Obs. Swat (); p. pr. & vb. n. Sweating.] Etym: [OE. sweten, AS. swætan, fr. swat, n., sweat; akin to OFries. & OS. swet, D. zweet, OHG. sweiz, G. schweiss, Icel. sviti, sveiti, Sw. svett, Dan. sved, L. sudor sweat, sudare to sweat, Gr. sveda sweat, svid to sweat. *178. Cf. Exude, Sudary, Sudorific.]

1. To excrete sensible moisture from the pores of the skin; to perspire. Shak.

2. Fig.: To perspire in toil; to work hard; to drudge. He 'd have the poets sweat. Waller.

3. To emit moisture, as green plants in a heap.

SWEAT Sweat, v. t.

1. To cause to excrete moisture from the skin; to cause to perspire; as, his physicians attempted to sweat him by most powerful sudorifics.

2. To emit or suffer to flow from the pores; to exude. It made her not a drop for sweat. Chaucer. With exercise she sweat ill humors out. Dryden.

3. To unite by heating, after the application of soldier.

4. To get something advantageous, as money, property, or labor from (any one), by exaction or oppression; as, to sweat a spendthrift; to sweat laborers. [Colloq.] To sweat coin, to remove a portion of a piece of coin, as by shaking it with others in a bag, so that the friction wears off a small quantity of the metal. The only use of it [money] which is interdicted is to put it in circulation again after having diminished its weight by "sweating", or otherwise, because the quantity of metal contains is no longer consistent with its impression. R. Cobden.

SWEAT Sweat, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. swot, AS. swat. See Sweat, v. i.]

1. (Physiol.)

Defn: The fluid which is excreted from the skin of an animal; the fluid secreted by the sudoriferous glands; a transparent, colorless, acid liquid with a peculiar odor, containing some fatty acids and mineral matter; perspiration. See Perspiration. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Gen. iii. 19.

2. The act of sweating; or the state of one who sweats; hence, labor; toil; drudgery. Shak.

3. Moisture issuing from any substance; as, the sweat of hay or grain in a mow or stack. Mortimer.

4. The sweating sickness. [Obs.] Holinshed.

5. (Man.)

Defn: A short run by a race horse in exercise. Sweat box (Naut.), a small closet in which refractory men are confined. -- Sweat glands (Anat.), sudoriferous glands. See under Sudoriferous.

SWEATER Sweat"er, n.

1. One who sweats.

2. One who, or that which, causes to sweat; as: (a) A sudorific. (b) A woolen jacket or jersey worn by athletes. (c) An employer who oppresses his workmen by paying low wages. [Slang]

SWEATILY Sweat"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a sweaty manner.

SWEATINESS Sweat"i*ness, n.

Defn: Quality or state of being sweaty.

SWEATING Sweat"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Sweat, v. Sweating bath, a bath producing sensible sweat; a stove or sudatory. -- Sweating house, a house for sweating persons in sickness. -- Sweating iron, a kind of knife, or a piece of iron, used to scrape off sweat, especially from horses; a horse scraper. -- Sweating room. (a) A room for sweating persons. (b) (Dairying) A room for sweating cheese and carrying off the superfluous juices. -- Sweating sickness (Med.), a febrile epidemic disease which prevailed in some countries of Europe, but particularly in England, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, characterized by profuse sweating. Death often occured in a few hours.

SWEATY Sweat"y, a. [Compar. Sweatier; superl. Sweatiest.]

1. Moist with sweat; as, a sweaty skin; a sweaty garment.

2. Consisting of sweat; of the nature of sweat. No noisome whiffs or sweaty streams. Swift.

3. Causing sweat; hence, laborious; toilsome; difficult. "The sweaty forge." Prior.

SWEDE Swede, n. Etym: [Cf. G. Schwede.]

1. A native or inhabitant of Sweden.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A Swedish turnip. See under Turnip.

SWEDENBORGIAN Swe`den*bor"gi*an, n.

Defn: One who holds the doctrines of the New Jerusalem church, as taught by Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher and religious writer, who was born a. d. 1688 and died 1772. Swedenborg claimed to have intercourse with the spiritual world, through the opening of his spiritual senses in 1745. He taught that the Lord Jesus Christ, as comprehending in himself all the fullness of the Godhead, is the one only God, and that there is a spiritual sense to the Scriptures, which he (Swedenborg) was able to reveal, because he saw the correspondence between natural and spiritual things.

SWEDENBORGIAN Swe`den*bor"gi*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Swedenborg or his views.

SWEDENBORGIANISM Swe`den*bor"gi*an*ism, n.

Defn: The doctrines of the Swedenborgians.

SWEDISH Swed"ish, a. Etym: [Cf. G. schwedisch, Sw. svensk.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Sweden or its inhabitants. Swedish turnip. (Bot.) See under Turnip.

SWEDISH Swed"ish, n.

Defn: The language of Swedes.

SWEENY Swee"ny, n. (Far.)

Defn: An atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder in horses; also, atrophy of any muscle in horses. [Written also swinney.]

SWEEP Sweep, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swept; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweeping.] Etym: [OE. swepen; akin to AS. swapan. See Swoop, v. i.]

1. To pass a broom across (a surface) so as to remove loose dirt, dust, etc.; to brush, or rub over, with a broom for the purpose of cleaning; as, to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney. Used also figuratively. I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23.

2. To drive or carry along or off with a broom or a brush, or as if with a broom; to remove by, or as if by, brushing; as, to sweep dirt from a floor; the wind sweeps the snow from the hills; a freshet sweeps away a dam, timber, or rubbish; a pestilence sweeps off multitudes. The hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies. Isa. xxviii. 17. I have already swept the stakes. Dryden.

3. To brush against or over; to rub lightly along. Their long descending train, With rubies edged and sapphires, swept the plain. Dryden.

4. To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion. And like a peacock sweep along his tail. Shak.

5. To strike with a long stroke. Wake into voice each silent string, And sweep the sounding lyre. Pope.

6. (Naut.)

Defn: To draw or drag something over; as, to sweep the bottom of a river with a net.

7. To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation; as, to sweep the heavens with a telescope. To sweep, or sweep up, a mold (Founding), to form the sand into a mold by a templet, instead of compressing it around the pattern.

SWEEP Sweep, v. i.

1. To clean rooms, yards, etc., or to clear away dust, dirt, litter, etc., with a broom, brush, or the like.

2. To brush swiftly over the surface of anything; to pass with switness and force, as if brushing the surface of anything; to move in a stately manner; as, the wind sweeps across the plain; a woman sweeps through a drawing-room.

3. To pass over anything comprehensively; to range through with rapidity; as, his eye sweeps through space.

SWEEP Sweep, n.

1. The act of sweeping.

2. The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep.

3. The compass of any turning body or of any motion; as, the sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye.

4. The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood carried away everything within its sweep.

5. Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease.

6. Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear; as, the sweep of a compass.

7. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the like, away from a rectlinear line. The road which makes a small sweep. Sir W. Scott.

8. One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney sweeper.

9. (Founding)

Defn: A movable templet for making molds, in loam molding.

10. (Naut.) (a) The mold of a ship when she begins to curve in at the rungheads; any part of a ship shaped in a segment of a circle. (b) A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.

11. (Refining)

Defn: The almond furnace. [Obs.]

12. A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water. [Variously written swape, sweep, swepe, and swipe.]

13. (Card Playing)

Defn: In the game of casino, a pairing or combining of all the cards on the board, and so removing them all; in whist, the winning of all the tricks (thirteen) in a hand; a slam.

14. pl.

Defn: The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc. Sweep net, a net for drawing over a large compass. -- Sweep of the tiller (Naut.), a circular frame on which the tiller traverses.

SWEEPAGE Sweep"age, n.

Defn: The crop of hay got in a meadow. [Prov. Eng.]

SWEEPER Sweep"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, sweeps, or cleans by sweeping; a sweep; as, a carpet sweeper. It is oxygen which is the great sweeper of the economy. Huxley.

SWEEPING Sweep"ing, a.

Defn: Cleaning off surfaces, or cleaning away dust, dirt, or litter, as a broom does; moving with swiftness and force; carrying everything before it; including in its scope many persons or things; as, a sweeping flood; a sweeping majority; a sweeping accusation. -- Sweep"ing*ly, adv. -Sweep"ing*ness, n.

SWEEPINGS Sweep"ings, n. pl.

Defn: Things collected by sweeping; rubbish; as, the sweepings of a street.

SWEEP-SAW Sweep"-saw`, n.

Defn: A bow-saw.

SWEEPSTAKE Sweep"stake`, n.

1. A winning of all the stakes or prizes. Heylin.

2. A complete removal or carrying away; a clean sweep. [Obs.] Bp. Hacket.

SWEEPSTAKES Sweep"stakes`, n.

1. A winning of all the stakes or prizes; a sweepstake.

2. sing. or pl.

Defn: The whole money or other things staked at a horse race, a given sum being put up for each horse, all of which goes to the winner, or is divided among several, as may be previously agreed.

3. A race for all the sums staked or prizes offered.

SWEEPWASHER Sweep"wash`er, n.

Defn: One who extracts the residuum of precious metals from the sweepings, potsherds, etc., of refineries of gold and silver, or places where these metals are used.

SWEEPY Sweep"y, a.

Defn: Moving with a sweeping motion. The branches bend before their sweepy away. Dryden.

SWEET Sweet, a. [Compar. Sweeter; superl. Sweetest.] Etym: [OE. swete, swote, sote, AS. swete; akin to OFries. swete, OS. swoti, D. zoet, G. süss, OHG. suozi, Icel. sætr, soetr, Sw. söt, Dan. söd, Goth. suts, L. suavis, for suadvis, Gr. svadu sweet, svad, svad, to sweeten. *175. Cf. Assuage, Suave, Suasion.]

1. Having an agreeable taste or flavor such as that of sugar; saccharine; -- opposed to sour and bitter; as, a sweet beverage; sweet fruits; sweet oranges.

2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; redolent; balmy; as, a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense. The breath of these flowers is sweet to me. Longfellow.

3. Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as, the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice; a sweet singer. To make his English sweet upon his tongue. Chaucer. A voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful. Hawthorne.

4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair; as, a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion. Sweet interchange Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains. Milton.

5. Fresh; not salt or brackish; as, sweet water. Bacon.

6. Not changed from a sound or wholesome state. Specifically: (a) Not sour; as, sweet milk or bread. (b) Not state; not putrescent or putrid; not rancid; as, sweet butter; sweet meat or fish.

7. Plaesing to the mind; mild; gentle; calm; amiable; winning; presuasive; as, sweet manners. Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Pleiades Job xxxviii. 31. Mildness and sweet reasonableness is the one established rule of Christian working. M. Arnold.

Note: Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured, sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, etc. Sweet alyssum. (Bot.) See Alyssum. -- Sweet apple. (Bot.) (a) Any apple of sweet flavor. (b) See Sweet- top. -- Sweet bay. (Bot.) (a) The laurel (laurus nobilis). (b) Swamp sassafras. -- Sweet calabash (Bot.), a plant of the genus Passiflora (P. maliformis) growing in the West Indies, and producing a roundish, edible fruit, the size of an apple. -- Sweet cicely. (Bot.) (a) Either of the North American plants of the umbelliferous genus Osmorrhiza having aromatic roots and seeds, and white flowers. Gray. (b) A plant of the genus Myrrhis (M. odorata) growing in England. -- Sweet calamus, or Sweet cane. (Bot.) Same as Sweet flag, below. -- Sweet Cistus (Bot.), an evergreen shrub (Cistus Ladanum) from which the gum ladanum is obtained. -- Sweet clover. (Bot.) See Melilot. -- Sweet coltsfoot (Bot.), a kind of butterbur (Petasites sagittata) found in Western North America. -- Sweet corn (Bot.), a variety of the maize of a sweet taste. See the Note under Corn. -- Sweet fern (Bot.), a small North American shrub (Comptonia, or Myrica, asplenifolia) having sweet-scented or aromatic leaves resembling fern leaves. -- Sweet flag (Bot.), an endogenous plant (Acorus Calamus) having long flaglike leaves and a rootstock of a pungent aromatic taste. It is found in wet places in Europe and America. See Calamus, 2. -- Sweet gale (Bot.), a shrub (Myrica Gale) having bitter fragrant leaves; -- also called sweet willow, and Dutch myrtle. See 5th Gale. Sweet grass (Bot.), holy, or Seneca, grass. -- Sweet gum (Bot.), an American tree (Liquidambar styraciflua). See Liquidambar. -- Sweet herbs, fragrant herbs cultivated for culinary purposes. -- Sweet John (Bot.), a variety of the sweet William. -- Sweet leaf (Bot.), horse sugar. See under Horse. -- Sweet marjoram. (Bot.) See Marjoram. -- Sweet marten (Zoöl.), the pine marten. -- Sweet maudlin (Bot.), a composite plant (Achillea Ageratum) allied to milfoil. -- Sweet oil, olive oil. -- Sweet pea. (Bot.) See under Pea. -- Sweet potato. (Bot.) See under Potato. -- Sweet rush (Bot.), sweet flag. -- Sweet spirits of niter (Med. Chem.) See Spirit of nitrous ether, under Spirit. -- Sweet sultan (Bot.), an annual composite plant (Centaurea moschata), also, the yellow-flowered (C. odorata); -- called also sultan flower. -- Sweet tooth, an especial fondness for sweet things or for sweetmeats. [Colloq.] -- Sweet William. (a) (Bot.) A species of pink (Dianthus barbatus) of many varieties. (b) (Zoöl.) The willow warbler. (c) (Zoöl.) The European goldfinch; -- called also sweet Billy. [Prov. Eng.] -- Sweet willow (Bot.), sweet gale. -- Sweet wine. See Dry wine, under Dry. -- To be sweet on, to have a particular fondness for, or special interest in, as a young man for a young woman. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

Syn. -- Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious.

SWEET Sweet, n.

1. That which is sweet to the taste; -- used chiefly in the plural. Specifically: (a) Confectionery, sweetmeats, preserves, etc. (b) Home-made wines, cordials, metheglin, etc.

2. That which is sweet or pleasant in odor; a perfume. "A wilderness of sweets." Milton.

3. That which is pleasing or grateful to the mind; as, the sweets of domestic life. A little bitter mingled in our cup leaves no relish of the sweet. Locke.

4. One who is dear to another; a darling; -- a term of endearment. "Wherefore frowns my sweet" B. Jonson.

SWEET Sweet, adv.

Defn: Sweetly. Shak.

SWEET Sweet, v. t.

Defn: To sweeten. [Obs.] Udall.

SWEETBREAD Sweet"bread`, n.

1. Either the thymus gland or the pancreas, the former being called neck, or throat, sweetbread, the latter belly sweetbread. The sweetbreads of ruminants, esp. of the calf, are highly esteemed as food. See Pancreas, and Thymus.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The pancreas.

SWEET-BREASTED Sweet"-breast`ed, a.

Defn: Having a sweet, musical voice, as the nightingale. Cf. Breast, n., 6. [Obs.]

SWEETBRIER Sweet"bri`er, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of rose (Rosa rubiginosa) with minutely glandular and fragrant foliage. The small-flowered sweetbrier is Rosa micrantha.

SWEETEN Sweet"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sweetened; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweetening.] Etym: [See Sweet, a.]

1. To make sweet to the taste; as, to sweeten tea.

2. To make pleasing or grateful to the mind or feelings; as, to sweeten life; to sweeten friendship.

3. To make mild or kind; to soften; as, to sweeten the temper.

4. To make less painful or laborious; to relieve; as, to sweeten the cares of life. Dryden. And sweeten every secret tear. Keble.

5. To soften to the eye; to make delicate. Correggio has made his memory immortal by the strength he has given to his figures, and by sweetening his lights and shadows, and melting them into each other. Dryden.

6. To make pure and salubrious by destroying noxious matter; as, to sweeten rooms or apartments that have been infected; to sweeten the air.

7. To make warm and fertile; -- opposed to sour; as, to dry and sweeten soils.

8. To restore to purity; to free from taint; as, to sweeten water, butter, or meat.

SWEETEN Sweet"en, v. i.

Defn: To become sweet. Bacon.

SWEETENER Sweet"en*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, sweetens; one who palliates; that which moderates acrimony.

SWEETENING Sweet"en*ing, n.

1. The act of making sweet.

2. That which sweetens.

SWEETHEART Sweet"heart`, n.

Defn: A lover of mistress.

SWEETHEARTING Sweet"heart`ing, n.

Defn: Making love. "To play at sweethearting." W. Black.

SWEETING Sweet"ing, n.

1. A sweet apple. Ascham.

2. A darling; -- a word of endearment. Shak.

SWEETISH Sweet"ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat sweet. -- Sweet"ish*ness, n.

SWEETLY Sweet"ly, adv. Etym: [AS. swetlice.]

Defn: In a sweet manner.

SWEETMEAT Sweet"meat`, n.

1. Fruit preserved with sugar, as peaches, pears, melons, nuts, orange peel, etc.; -- usually in the plural; a confect; a confection.

2. The paint used in making patent leather.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A boat shell (Crepidula fornicata) of the American coast. [Local, U.S.]

SWEETNESS Sweet"ness, n. Etym: [AS. swetness.]

Defn: The quality or state of being sweet (in any sense of the adjective); gratefulness to the taste or to the smell; agreeableness.

SWEETROOT Sweet"root`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Licorice.

SWEET-SCENTED Sweet"-scent`ed, a.

Defn: Having a sweet scent or smell; fragrant. Sweet-scented shrub (Bot.), a shrub of the genus Calycanthus, the flowers of which, when crushed, have a fragrance resembling that of strawberries.

SWEET-SOP Sweet"-sop`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of custard apple (Anona squamosa). See under Custard.

SWEETWATER Sweet"wa`ter, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A variety of white grape, having a sweet watery juice; -- also called white sweetwater, and white muscadine.

SWEETWEED Sweet"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A name for two tropical American weeds (Capraria biflora, and Scoparia dulcis) of the Figwort family.

SWEETWOOD Sweet"wood`, n. (Bot.) (a) The true laurel (Laurus nobilis.) (b) The timber of the tree Oreodaphne Leucoxylon, growing in Jamaica. The name is also applied to the timber of several other related trees.

SWEETWORT Sweet"wort`, n.

Defn: Any plant of a sweet taste.

SWEIGH Sweigh, n.

Defn: Sway; movement. [Obs.] Chaucer.

SWEINMOTE Swein"mote`, n.

Defn: See Swainmote. [Obs.]

SWELL Swell, v. i. [imp. Swelled; p. p. Swelled or Swollen (; p. pr. & vb. n. Swelling.] Etym: [AS. swellan; akin to D. zwellen, OS. & OHG. swellan, G. schwellen, Icel. svella, Sw. svälla.]

1. To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface or dimensions, by matter added within, or by expansion of the inclosed substance; as, the legs swell in dropsy; a bruised part swells; a bladder swells by inflation.

2. To increase in size or extent by any addition; to increase in volume or force; as, a river swells, and overflows its banks; sounds swell or diminish.

3. To rise or be driven into waves or billows; to heave; as, in tempest, the ocean swells into waves.

4. To be puffed up or bloated; as, to swell with pride. You swell at the tartan, as the bull is said to do at scarlet. Sir W. Scott.

5. To be inflated; to belly; as, the sails swell.

6. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant; as, swelling words; a swelling style.

7. To protuberate; to bulge out; as, a cask swells in the middle.

8. To be elated; to rise arrogantly. Your equal mind yet swells not into state. Dryden.

9. To grow upon the view; to become larger; to expand. "Monarchs to behold the swelling scene!" Shak.

10. To become larger in amount; as, many little debts added, swell to a great amount.

11. To act in a pompous, ostentatious, or arrogant manner; to strut; to look big. Here he comes, swelling like a turkey cock. Shak.

SWELL Swell, v. t.

1. To increase the size, bulk, or dimensions of; to cause to rise, dilate, or increase; as, rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring; immigration swells the population. [The Church] swells her high, heart-cheering tone. Keble.

2. To aggravate; to heighten. It is low ebb with his accuser when such peccadilloes are put to swell the charge. Atterbury.

3. To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate; as, to be swelled with pride or haughtiness.

4. (Mus.)

Defn: To augment gradually in force or loudness, as the sound of a note.

SWELL Swell, n.

1. The act of swelling.

2. Gradual increase. Specifically: (a) Increase or augmentation in bulk; protuberance. (b) Increase in height; elevation; rise. Little River affords navigation during a swell to within three miles of the Miami. Jefferson.

(c) Increase of force, intensity, or volume of sound. Music arose with its voluptuous swell. Byron.

(d) Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force. The swell and subsidence of his periods. Landor.

3. A gradual ascent, or rounded elevation, of land; as, an extensive plain abounding with little swells.

4. A wave, or billow; especially, a succession of large waves; the roll of the sea after a storm; as, a heavy swell sets into the harbor. The swell Of the long waves that roll in yonder bay. Tennyson. The gigantic swells and billows of the snow. Hawthorne.

5. (Mus.)

Defn: A gradual increase and decrease of the volume of sound; the crescendo and diminuendo combined; -- generally indicated by the sign.

6. A showy, dashing person; a dandy. [Slang] Ground swell. See under Ground. -- Organ swell (Mus.), a certain number of pipes inclosed in a box, the uncovering of which by means of a pedal produces increased sound. -- Swell shark (Zoöl.), a small shark (Scyllium ventricosum) of the west coast of North America, which takes in air when caught, and swells up like a swellfish.

SWELL Swell, a.

Defn: Having the characteristics of a person of rank and importance; showy; dandified; distinguished; as, a swell person; a swell neighborhood. [Slang] Swell mob. See under Mob. [Slang]

SWELLDOM Swell"dom, n.

Defn: People of rank and fashion; the class of swells, collectively. [Jocose]

SWELLFISH Swell"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any plectognath fish that dilates itself, as the bur fish, puffer, or diodon.

SWELLING Swell"ing, n.

1. The act of that which swells; as, the swelling of rivers in spring; the swelling of the breast with pride. Rise to the swelling of the voiceless sea. Coleridge.

2. A protuberance; a prominence; especially (Med.),

Defn: an unnatural prominence or protuberance; as, a scrofulous swelling. The superficies of such plates are not even, but have many cavities and swellings. Sir I. Newton.

SWELLISH Swell"ish, a.

Defn: Dandified; stylish. [Slang]

SWELLTOAD Swell"toad`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A swellfish.

SWELT Swelt, obs.

Defn: imp. of Swell.

SWELT Swelt, v. i. Etym: [OE. swelten to die, to swoon or faint, AS. sweltan to die; akin to OD. swelten to hunger, to fail, OS. sweltan to die, Icel. svelta to die, to hunger, Sw. svälta to hunger, Dan. sulte, Goth. sviltan to die. Cf. Swelter, Sweltry.]

1. To die; to perish. [Obs.]

2. To faint; to swoon. [Obs.] Chaucer. Night she swelt for passing joy. Spenser.

SWELT Swelt, v. t.

Defn: To overpower, as with heat; to cause to faint; to swelter. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

SWELTER Swel"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sweltered; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweltering.] Etym: [From Swelt, v. i.]

1. To be overcome and faint with heat; to be ready to perish with heat. "Sweltered cattle." Coleridge.

2. To welter; to soak. [Obs.] Drayton.

SWELTER Swel"ter, v. t.

1. To oppress with heat. Bentley.

2. To exude, like sweat. [R.] Shak.

SWELTRY Swel"try, a. Etym: [See Swelter, Swelt, v. i., and cf. Sultry.]

Defn: Suffocating with heat; oppressively hot; sultry. [R.] Evelyn.

SWELVE Swel"ve, v. t.

Defn: To swallow. [Obs.] Chaucer.

SWEPT Swept,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Sweep.

SWERD Swerd, n. & v.

Defn: See Sward, n. & v. [Obs.]

SWERD Swerd, n.

Defn: Sword. [Obs.] Chaucer.

SWERVE Swerve, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swerved; p. pr. & vb. n. Swerving.] Etym: [OE. swerven, AS. sweorfan to wipe off, to file, to polish; akin to OFries. swerva to creep, D. zwerven to swerve, to rope, OS. swerban to wipe off, MHG. swerben to be whirled, OHG. swerban to wipe off, Icel. sverfa to file, Goth. swaírban (in comp.) to wipe, and perhaps to E. swarm. Cf. Swarm.]

1. To stray; to wander; to rope. [Obs.] A maid thitherward did run, To catch her sparrow which from her did swerve. Sir P. Sidney.

2. To go out of a straight line; to deflect. "The point [of the sword] swerved." Sir P. Sidney.

3. To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to deviate. I swerve not from thy commandments. Bk. of Com. Prayer. They swerve from the strict letter of the law. Clarendon. Many who, through the contagion of evil example, swerve exceedingly from the rules of their holy religion. Atterbury.

4. To bend; to incline. "The battle swerved." Milton.

5. To climb or move upward by winding or turning. The tree was high; Yet nimbly up from bough to bough I swerved. Dryden.

SWERVE Swerve, v. t.

Defn: To turn aside. Gauden.

SWEVEN Swe"ven, n. Etym: [AS. swefen sleep, dream; akin to swebban, swefian, to put to sleep, to kill. *176. See Somnolent.]

Defn: A vision seen in sleep; a dream. [Obs.] Wycliff (Acts ii. 17). I defy both sweven and dream. Chaucer.

SWICH Swich, a. Etym: [See Such.]

Defn: Such. [Obs.] Swich things as that I know I will declare. Chaucer.

SWIETENIA Swie*te"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named after Gerard Van Sweiten, physician to Maria Theresa of Austria.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of meliaceous trees consisting of one species (Sweitenia Mahogoni), the mahogany tree.

SWIFT Swift, a. [Compar. Swifter; superl. Swiftest.] Etym: [AS. swift; akin to swapan to sweep, swipu a whip; cf. swifan to move quickly, to revolve. See Swoop, v. i., and cf. Swivel, Squib.]

1. Moving a great distance in a short time; moving with celerity or velocity; fleet; rapid; quick; speedy; prompt. My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James i. 19. Swift of dispatch and easy of access. Dryden. And bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

2. Of short continuance; passing away quickly. Shak.

Note: Swift is often used in the formation of compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, swift-darting, swift-footed, swift- winged, etc.

Syn. -- Quick; fleet; speedy; rapid; expeditious.

SWIFT Swift, adv.

Defn: Swiftly. [Obs. or Poetic] Shak. Ply swift and strong the oar. Southey.

SWIFT Swift, n.

1. The current of a stream. [R.] Walton.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small, long-winged, insectivorous birds of the family Micropodidæ. In form and habits the swifts resemble swallows, but they are destitute of complex vocal muscles and are not singing birds, but belong to a widely different group allied to the humming birds.

Note: The common European swift (Cypselus, or Micropus, apus) nests in church steeples and under the tiles of roofs, and is noted for its rapid flight and shrill screams. It is called also black martin, black swift, hawk swallow, devil bird, swingdevil, screech martin, and shreik owl. The common American, or chimney, swift (Chætura pelagica) has sharp rigid tips to the tail feathers. It attaches its nest to the inner walls of chimneys, and is called also chimney swallow. The Australian swift (Chætura caudacuta) also has sharp naked tips to the tail quills. The European Alpine swift (Cypselus melba) is whitish beneath, with a white band across the breast. The common Indian swift is Cypselus affinis. See also Palm swift, under Palm, and Tree swift, under Tree.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of lizards, as the pine lizard.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The ghost moth. See under Ghost.

5. Etym: [Cf. Swivel.]

Defn: A reel, or turning instrument, for winding yarn, thread, etc.; -- used chiefly in the plural.

6. The main card cylinder of a flax-carding machine.

SWIFTER Swift"er, n. Etym: [Cf. Swivel.] (Naut.) (a) A rope used to retain the bars of the capstan in their sockets while men are turning it. (b) A rope used to encircle a boat longitudinally, to strengthen and defend her sides. (c) The forward shroud of a lower mast.

SWIFTER Swift"er, v. t. (Naut.)

Defn: To tighten, as slack standing rigging, by bringing the opposite shrouds nearer.

SWIFTFOOT Swift"foot`, a.

Defn: Nimble; fleet. Mir. for Mag.

SWIFTFOOT Swift"foot`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The courser.

SWIFTLET Swift"let, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small East Indian and Asiatic swifts of the genus Collocalia. Some of the species are noted for furnishing the edible bird's nest. See Illust. under Edible.

SWIFTLY Swift"ly, adv.

Defn: In a swift manner; with quick motion or velocity; fleetly. Wyclif.

SWIFTNESS Swift"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being swift; speed; quickness; celerity; velocity; rapidity; as, the swiftness of a bird; the swiftness of a stream; swiftness of descent in a falling body; swiftness of thought, etc.

SWIG Swig, v. t. Etym: [Cf. D. zwelgen to swallow, E. swallow, v.t.]

1. To drink in long draughts; to gulp; as, to swig cider. [Colloq.]

2. To suck. [Obs. or Archaic] The lambkins swig the teat. Creech.

SWIG Swig, n.

1. A long draught. [Colloq.] Marryat.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A tackle with ropes which are not parallel.

3. A beverage consisting of warm beer flavored with spices, lemon, etc. [Prov. Eng.]

SWIG Swig, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. swig to leak out, AS. swijian to be silent, swican to evade, escape.]

1. To castrate, as a ram, by binding the testicles tightly with a string, so that they mortify and slough off. [Prov. Eng.]

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To pull upon (a tackle) by throwing the weight of the body upon the fall between the block and a cleat.

SWILL Swill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Swilling.] Etym: [OE. swilen to wash, AS. swilian.]

1. To wash; to drench. [Obs.] As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swilled with the wild and wasteful ocean. Shak.

2. Etym: [Properly, to drink like a pig. See Swill, n.]

Defn: To drink in great draughts; to swallow greedily. Well-dressed people, of both sexes, . . . devouring sliced beef, and swilling pork, and punch, and cider. Smollett.

3. To inebriate; to fill with drink. I should be loth To meet the rudeness and swilled insolence Of such late wassailers. Milton.

SWILL Swill, v. i.

Defn: To drink greedily or swinishly; to drink to excess. South.

SWILL Swill, n.

1. The wash, or mixture of liquid substances, given to swine; hogwash; -- called also swillings.

2. Large draughts of liquor; drink taken in excessive quantities.

SWILLER Swill"er, n.

Defn: One who swills.

SWILLINGS Swill"ings, n. pl.

Defn: See Swill, n., 1.

SWIM Swim, v. i. [imp. Swam or Swum (; p. p. Swum; p. pr. & vb. n. Swimming.] Etym: [AS. swimman; akin to D. zwemmen, OHG. swimman, G. schwimmen, Icel. svimma, Dan. swömme, Sw. simma. Cf. Sound an air bladder, a strait.]

1. To be supported by water or other fluid; not to sink; to float; as, any substance will swim, whose specific gravity is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed.

2. To move progressively in water by means of strokes with the hands and feet, or the fins or the tail. Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point. Shak.

3. To be overflowed or drenched. Ps. vi. 6. Sudden the ditches swell, the meadows swim. Thomson.

4. Fig.: To be as if borne or floating in a fluid. [They] now swim in joy. Milton.

5. To be filled with swimming animals. [Obs.] [Streams] that swim full of small fishes. Chaucer.

SWIM Swim, v. t.

1. To pass or move over or on by swimming; as, to swim a stream. Sometimes he thought to swim the stormy main. Dryden.

2. To cause or compel to swim; to make to float; as, to swim a horse across a river.

3. To immerse in water that the lighter parts may float; as, to swim wheat in order to select seed.

SWIM Swim, n.

1. The act of swimming; a gliding motion, like that of one swimming. B. Jonson.

2. The sound, or air bladder, of a fish.

3. A part of a stream much frequented by fish. [Eng.] Swim bladder, an air bladder of a fish. -- To be in the swim, to be in a favored position; to be associated with others in active affairs. [Colloq.]

SWIM Swim, v. i. Etym: [OE. swime dizziness, vertigo, AS. swima; akin to D. zwijm, Icel. svimi dizziness, svina to subside, svia to abate, G. schwindel dizziness, schwinden to disappear, to dwindle, OHG. swinan to dwindle. Cf. Squemish, Swindler.]

Defn: To be dizzy; to have an unsteady or reeling sensation; as, the head swims.

SWIMBEL Swim"bel, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A moaning or sighing sound or noise; a sough. [Obs.] Chaucer.

SWIMMER Swim"mer, n.

1. One who swims.

2. (Far.)

Defn: A protuberance on the leg of a horse.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A swimming bird; one of the natatores. Little swimmer (Zoöl.), a phalarope.

SWIMMERET Swim"mer*et, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of a series of flat, fringed, and usually bilobed, appendages, of which several pairs occur on the abdominal somites of many crustaceans. They are used as fins in swimming.

SWIMMING Swim"ming, a.

1. That swims; capable of swimming; adapted to, or used in, swimming; as, a swimming bird; a swimming motion.

2. Suffused with moisture; as, swimming eyes. Swimming bell (Zoöl.), a nectocalyx. See Illust. under Siphonophora. -- Swimming crab (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of marine crabs, as those of the family Protunidæ, which have some of the joints of one or more pairs of legs flattened so as to serve as fins.

SWIMMING Swim"ming, n.

Defn: The act of one who swims.

SWIMMING Swim"ming, a. Etym: [From Swim to be dizzy.]

Defn: Being in a state of vertigo or dizziness; as, a swimming brain.

SWIMMING Swim"ming, n.

Defn: Vertigo; dizziness; as, a swimming in the head. Dryden.

SWIMMINGLY Swim"ming*ly, adv.

Defn: In an easy, gliding manner, as if swimming; smoothly; successfully; prosperously.

SWIMMINGNESS Swim"ming*ness, n.

Defn: Act or state of swimming; suffusion. "A swimmingness in the eye." Congreve.

SWINCK Swinck, v. & n.

Defn: See Swink.

SWINDLE Swin"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swindled; p. pr. & vb. n. Swindling.] Etym: [See Swindler.]

Defn: To cheat defraud grossly, or with deliberate artifice; as, to swindle a man out of his property. Lammote . . . has swindled one of them out of three hundred livres. Carlyle.

SWINDLE Swin"dle, n.

Defn: The act or process of swindling; a cheat.

SWINDLER Swin"dler, n. Etym: [G. schwindler, fr. schwindlen to be dizzy, to act thoughtlessly, to cheat, fr. schwindel dizziness, fr. schwinden to vanish, to disappear, to dwindle. See Swim to be dizzy.]

Defn: One who swindles, or defrauds grossly; one who makes a practice of defrauding others by imposition or deliberate artifice; a cheat.

Syn. -- Sharper; rogue. -- Swindler, Sharper. These words agree in describing persons who take unfair advantages. A swindler is one who obtains money or goods under false pretenses. A sharper is one who cheats by sharp practice, as in playing at cards or staking what he can not pay. Fraud and injustice soon follow, and the dignity of the British merchant is sunk in the scandalous appellation of a swindler. V. Knox. Perhaps you 'll think I act the same As a sly sharper plays his game. Cotton.

SWINDLERY Swin"dler*y, n.

Defn: Swindling; rougery. [R.] "Swindlery and blackguardism." Carlyle.

SWINE Swine, n.sing. & pl. Etym: [OE. swin, AS. swin; akin to OFries. & OS. swin, D. zwijn, G. schwein, OHG. swin, Icel. svin, Sw. svin, Dan. sviin, Goth. swein; originally a diminutive corresponding to E. sow. See Sow, n.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any animal of the hog kind, especially one of the domestical species. Swine secrete a large amount of subcutaneous fat, which, when extracted, is known as lard. The male is specifically called boar, the female, sow, and the young, pig. See Hog. "A great herd of swine." Mark v. 11. Swine grass (Bot.), knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare); -- so called because eaten by swine. -- Swine oat (Bot.), a kind of oat sometimes grown for swine. -- Swine's cress (Bot.), a species of cress of the genus Senebiera (S. Coronopus). -- Swine's head, a dolt; a blockhead. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Swine thistle (Bot.), the sow thistle.

SWINEBREAD Swine"bread`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The truffle.

SWINECASE Swine"case`, n.

Defn: A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

SWINECOTE Swine"cote`, n.

Defn: A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

SWINECRUE Swine"crue`, n. Etym: [Swine + Prov. E. crue a coop.]

Defn: A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

SWINEFISH Swine"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wolf fish.

SWINEHERD Swine"herd`, n.

Defn: A keeper of swine.

SWINEPIPE Swine"pipe`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European redwing. [Prov. Eng.]

SWINE-POX Swine"-pox`, n. (Med.)

Defn: A variety of the chicken pox, with acuminated vesicles containing a watery fluid; the water pox. Pepys.

SWINERY Swin"er*y, n.

Defn: Same as Piggery. [R.]

SWINESTONE Swine"stone`, n. (Min.)

Defn: See Stinkstone.

SWINESTY Swine"sty`, n.

Defn: A sty, or pen, for swine.

SWING Swing, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swung; Archaic imp. Swang; p. pr. & vb. n. Swinging.] Etym: [OE. swingen, AS. swingan to scourge, to fly, to flutter; akin to G. schwingen to winnow, to swingle, oscillate, sich schwingen to leap, to soar, OHG. swingan to throw, to scourge, to soar, Sw. svinga to swing, to whirl, Dan. svinge. Cf. Swagger, Sway, Swinge, Swink.]

1. To move to and fro, as a body suspended in the air; to wave; to vibrate; to oscillate. I tried if a pendulum would swing faster, or continue swinging longer, in case of exsuction of the air. Boyle.

2. To sway or move from one side or direction to another; as, the door swung open.

3. To use a swing; as, a boy swings for exercise or pleasure. See Swing, n., 3.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor; as, a ship swings with the tide.

5. To be hanged. [Colloq.] D. Webster. To swing round the circle, to make a complete circuit. [Colloq.] He had swung round the circle of theories and systems in which his age abounded, without finding relief. A. V. G. Allen.

SWING Swing, v. t.

1. To cause to swing or vibrate; to cause to move backward and forward, or from one side to the other. He swings his tail, and swiftly turns his round. Dryden. They get on ropes, as you must have seen the children, and are swung by their men visitants. Spectator.

2. To give a circular movement to; to whirl; to brandish; as, to swing a sword; to swing a club; hence, colloquially, to manage; as, to swing a business.

3. (Mach.)

Defn: To admit or turn (anything) for the purpose of shaping it; -- said of a lathe; as, the lathe can swing a pulley of 12 inches diameter. To swing a door, gate, etc. (Carp.), to put it on hinges so that it can swing or turn.

SWING Swing, n.

1. The act of swinging; a waving, oscillating, or vibratory motion of a hanging or pivoted object; oscillation; as, the swing of a pendulum.

2. Swaying motion from one side or direction to the other; as, some men walk with a swing.

3. A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing; especially, an apparatus for recreation by swinging, commonly consisting of a rope, the two ends of which are attached overhead, as to the bough of a tree, a seat being placed in the loop at the bottom; also, any contrivance by which a similar motion is produced for amusement or exercise.

4. Influence of power of a body put in swaying motion. The ram that batters down the wall, For the great swing and rudeness of his poise, They place before his hand that made the engine. Shak.

5. Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.

6. Free course; unrestrained liberty or license; tendency. "Take thy swing." Dryden. To prevent anything which may prove an obstacle to the full swing of his genius. Burke. Full swing. See under Full. -- Swing beam (Railway Mach.), a crosspiece sustaining the car body, and so suspended from the framing of a truck that it may have an independent lateral motion. -- Swing bridge, a form of drawbridge which swings horizontally, as on a vertical pivot. -- Swing plow, or Swing plough. (a) A plow without a fore wheel under the beam. (b) A reversible or sidehill plow. -- Swing wheel. (a) The scape-wheel in a clock, which drives the pendulum. (b) The balance of a watch.

SWINGDEVIL Swing"dev`il, n. (Zoöl.) Etym: [So named from its swift flight and dark color, which give it an uncanny appearance.]

Defn: The European swift. [Prov. Eng.]

SWINGE Swinge (swînj), v. & n.

Defn: See Singe. [Obs.] Spenser.

SWINGE Swinge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swinged (swînjd); p. pr. & vb. n. Swingeing (swînj"îng).] Etym: [OE. swengen, AS. swengan to shake, causative of swingan. See Swing.]

1. To beat soundly; to whip; to chastise; to punish. I had swinged him soundly. Shak. And swinges his own vices in his son. C. Dryden.

2. To move as a lash; to lash. [Obs.] Swinges the scaly horror of his folded tail. Milton.

SWINGE Swinge, n.

1. The sweep of anything in motion; a swinging blow; a swing. [Obs.] Waller.

2. Power; sway; influence. [Obs.]

SWINGEBUCKLER Swinge"buc`kler, n.

Defn: A swashbuckler; a bully; a roiserer. [Obs.] Shak.

SWINGEING Swinge"ing, a.

Defn: Huge; very large. [Colloq.] Arbuthnot. Byron. -- Swinge"ing*ly, adv. Dryden.

SWINGEL Swin"gel, n. Etym: [AS. swingele whip, scourge. See Swing.]

Defn: The swinging part of a flail which falls on the grain in thrashing; the swiple.

SWINGER Swing"er, n.

Defn: One who swings or whirls.

SWINGER Swin"ger, n.

1. One who swinges.

2. Anything very large, forcible; or astonishing. [Obs. or Colloq.] Herrick.

Defn: A person who engages frequently in lively and fashionable pursuits, such as attending night clubs or discos. 4. A person who engages freely in sexual intercourse.

SWINGLE Swin"gle, v. i. Etym: [Freq. of swing.]

1. To dangle; to wave hanging. [Obs.] Johnson.

2. To swing for pleasure. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

SWINGLE Swin"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swingled; p. pr. & vb. n. Swingling.] Etym: [See Swingel.]

1. To clean, as flax, by beating it with a swingle, so as to separate the coarse parts and the woody substance from it; to scutch.

2. To beat off the tops of without pulling up the roots; -- said of weeds. [Prov. Eng.] Forby.

SWINGLE Swin"gle, n.

Defn: A wooden instrument like a large knife, about two feet long, with one thin edge, used for beating and cleaning flax; a scutcher; - - called also swingling knife, swingling staff, and swingling wand.

SWINGLEBAR Swin"gle*bar`, n.

Defn: A swingletree. De Quincey.

SWINGLETAIL Swin"gle*tail`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The thrasher, or fox shark. See Thrasher.

SWINGLETREE Swin"gle*tree`, n. Etym: [So named in allusion to its swinging. See Swingle, v. i., and cf. Swingtree.]

Defn: A whiffletree, or whippletree. See Singletree.

SWINGLING Swin"gling, a. & n.

Defn: from Swingle, v. t. Swingling tow, the coarse part of flax, separated from the finer by swingling and hatcheling.

SWINGTREE Swing"tree`, n.

Defn: The bar of a carriage to which the traces are fastened; the whiffletree.

SWINISH Swin"ish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to swine; befitting swine; like swine; hoggish; gross; beasty; as, a swinish drunkard or sot. "Swinish gluttony." Milton. -- Swin"ish*ly, adv. -- Swin"ish*ness, n.

SWINK Swink, v. i. [imp. Swank, Swonk (; p. p. Swonken; p. pr. & vb. n. Swinking.] Etym: [AS. swincan, akin to swingan. See Swing.]

Defn: To labor; to toil; to salve. [Obs. or Archaic] Or swink with his hands and labor. Chaucer. For which men swink and sweat incessantly. Spenser. The swinking crowd at every stroke pant "Ho." Sir Samuel Freguson.

SWINK Swink, v. t.

1. To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor. [Obs.] And the swinked hedger at his supper sat. Milton.

2. To acquire by labor. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. To devour all that others swink. Chaucer.

SWINK Swink, n. Etym: [As. swinc, geswinc.]

Defn: Labor; toil; drudgery. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

SWINKER Swink"er, n.

Defn: A laborer. [Obs.] Chaucer.

SWINNEY Swin"ney, n. (Far.)

Defn: See Sweeny.

SWIPE Swipe, n. Etym: [Cf. Sweep, Swiple.]

1. A swape or sweep. See Sweep.

2. A strong blow given with a sweeping motion, as with a bat or club. Swipes [in cricket] over the blower's head, and over either of the long fields. R. A. Proctor.

3. pl.

Defn: Poor, weak beer; small beer. [Slang, Eng.] [Written also swypes.] Craig.

SWIPE Swipe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swiped; p. pr. & vb. n. Swiping.]

1. To give a swipe to; to strike forcibly with a sweeping motion, as a ball. Loose balls may be swiped almost ad libitum. R. A. Proctor.

2. To pluck; to snatch; to steal. [Slang, U.S.]

SWIPLE Swi"ple, n. Etym: [See Swipe.]

Defn: That part of a flail which strikes the grain in thrashing; a swingel. [Written also swipel, and swipple.]

SWIPPER Swip"per, a. Etym: [From AS. swipian to whip, shake, whirl; akin to swapan to sweep. See Swoop.]

Defn: Nimble; quick. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Slang]

SWIRL Swirl, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Swirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Swirling.] Etym: [Akin to Norw. svirla to whirl, freq. of sverra to whirl, Dan. svirre, G. schwirren to whiz, to buzz. *177. See Swarm, n.]

Defn: To whirl, or cause to whirl, as in an eddy. "The river swirled along." C. Kingsley.

SWIRL Swirl, n.

Defn: A whirling motion; an eddy, as of water; a whirl. "The silent swirl of bats." Mrs. Browning.

SWISH Swish, v. t. Etym: [From the sound. Cf. Swash.]

1. To flourish, so as to make the sound swish. Coleridge.

2. To flog; to lash. [Slang] Thackeray.

SWISH Swish, v. i.

Defn: To dash; to swash.

SWISH Swish, n.

1. A sound of quick movement, as of something whirled through the air. [Colloq.]

2. (Naut.)

Defn: Light driven spray. [Eng.]

SWISS Swiss, n.sing. & pl. Etym: [F. Suisse, of German origin. Cf. Switzer.]

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Switzerland; a Switzer; the people of Switzerland.

SWISS Swiss, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Switzerland, or the people of Switzerland.

SWITCH Switch, n. Etym: [Cf. OD. swick a scourage, a whip. Cf. Swink, Swing.]

1. A small, flexible twig or rod. Mauritania, on the fifth medal, leads a horse with something like a thread; in her other hand she holds a switch. Addison.

2. (Railways)

Defn: A movable part of a rail; or of opposite rails, for transferring cars from one track to another.

3. A separate mass or trees of hair, or of some substance (at jute) made to resemble hair, worn on the head by women.

4. (Eccl.)

Defn: A mechanical device for shifting an electric current to another circuit. Safety switch (Railways), a form of switch contrived to prevent or lessen the danger of derailment of trains. -- Switch back (Railways), an arrangement of tracks whereby elevations otherwise insurmountable are passed. The track ascends by a series of zigzags, the engine running alternately forward and back, until the summit is reached. -- Switch board (Elec.), a collection of switches in one piece of apparatus, so arranged that a number of circuits may be connected or combined in any desired manner. -- Switch grass. (Bot.) See under Grass.