1. A swaying, irregular motion.
2. A burglar's or thief's booty; boodle. [Cant or Slang] Charles Reade.
SWAG-BELLIEDSwag"-bel`lied, a.
Defn: Having a prominent, overhanging belly. Shak.
SWAGBELLYSwag"bel`ly, n.
1. A prominent, overhanging belly. Smollett.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Any large tumor developed in the abdomen, and neither fluctuating nor sonorous. Dunglison.
SWAGESwage, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Swaged; p. pr. & vb. n. Swaging.]Etym: [Equiv. to suage, abbrev. fr. assuage.]
Defn: See Assuage. [Obs.]
SWAGESwage, n.
Defn: A tool, variously shaped or grooved on the end or face, used by blacksmiths and other workers in metals, for shaping their work, whether sheet metal or forging, by holding the swage upon the work, or the work upon the swage, and striking with a sledge. Swage block, a perforated block of iron, having grooved sides and adapted for use in heading bolts and swaging objects of large size.
SWAGESwage, v. t.
Defn: To shape by means of a swage; to fashion, as a piece of iron, by forcing it into a groove or mold having the required shape.
SWAGGERSwag"ger, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swaggered; p. pr. & vb. n. Swaggering.]Etym: [Freq. of swag.]
1. To walk with a swaying motion; hence, to walk and act in a pompous, consequential manner. A man who swaggers about London clubs. Beaconsfield.
2. To boast or brag noisily; to be ostentatiously proud or vainglorious; to bluster; to bully. What a pleasant it is . . . to swagger at the bar! Arbuthnot. To be great is not . . . to swagger at our footmen. Colier.
SWAGGERSwag"ger, v. t.
Defn: To bully. [R.] Swift.
SWAGGERSwag"ger, n.
Defn: The act or manner of a swaggerer.He gave a half swagger, half leer, as he stepped forth to receive us.W. Irving.
SWAGGERERSwag"ger*er, n.
Defn: One who swaggers; a blusterer; a bully; a boastful, noisy fellow. Shak.
SWAGGIESwag"gie, n.
Defn: A swagman. [Australia]
SWAGGYSwag"gy, a.
Defn: Inclined to swag; sinking, hanging, or leaning by its weight.Sir T. Browne.
SWAGMANSwag"man, n.
Defn: A bushman carrying a swag and traveling on foot; — called also swagsman, swagger, and swaggie.
SWAGSMANSwags"man, n.
Defn: A swagman. [Australia]
SWAIN Swain, n. Etym: [OE. swain, swein, Icel. sveinn a boy, servant; akin to Sw. sven, Dan. svend, AS. swan, OHG. swein.]
1. A servant. [Obs.] Him behoves serve himself that has no swain. Chaucer.
2. A young man dwelling in the country; a rustic; esp., a cuntry gallant or lover; — chiefly in poetry. It were a happy life To be no better than a homely swain. Shak. Blest swains! whose nymphs in every grace excel. Pope.
SWAINISHSwain"ish, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a swain; rustic; ignorant. "An ungentle and swainish beast." Milton. — Swain"ish*ness, n. Emerson.
SWAINLINGSwain"ling, n.
Defn: A little swain. [R.]
SWAINMOTESwain"mote`, n. Etym: [Swain + mote meeting: cf. LL. swanimotum.](Eng. Forest Law)
Defn: A court held before the verders of the forest as judges, by the steward of the court, thrice every year, the swains, or freeholders, within the forest composing the jury. [Written also swanimote, and sweinmote.] Blackstone.
SWAINSHIPSwain"ship, n.
Defn: The condition of a swain.
SWAIPSwaip, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Sweep.]
Defn: To walk proudly; to sweep along. [Prov. Eng.] Todd.
SWALSwal, obs. imp. of Swell.
Defn: Swelled. Chaucer.
SWALESwale, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. svalr cool, svala to cool.]
Defn: A valley or low place; a tract of low, and usually wet, land; a moor; a fen. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]
SWALESwale, v. i. & t.
Defn: To melt and waste away; to singe. See Sweal, v.
SWALESwale, n.
Defn: A gutter in a candle. [Prov. Eng.]
SWALLET Swal"let, n. Etym: [Cf. G. schwall a sea swell, from schwellen to swell, E. swell.]
Defn: Water breaking in upon the miners at their work; — so called among tin miners. [Prov. Eng.]
SWALLOW Swal"low, n. Etym: [OE. swalowe, AS. swalewe, swealwe; akin to D. zwaluw, OHG. swalawa, G. schwalbe, Icel. & Sw. svala, Dan. svale.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of passerine birds of the family Hirundinidæ, especially one of those species in which the tail is deeply forked. They have long, pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and gracefulness of their flight.
Note: The most common North American species are the barn swallow (see under Barn), the cliff, or eaves, swallow (see under Cliff), the white-bellied, or tree, swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), and the bank swallow (see under Bank). The common European swallow (Chelidon rustica), and the window swallow, or martin (Chelidon urbica), are familiar species.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of swifts which resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the common American chimney swallow, or swift.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Swallow plover (Zoöl.), any one of several species of fork-tailed ploverlike birds of the genus Glareola, as G. orientalis of India; a pratincole. — Swallow shrike (Zoöl.), any one of several species of East Indian and Asiatic birds of the family Artamiidæ, allied to the shrikes but similar to swallows in appearance and habits. The ashy swallow shrike (Artamus fuscus) is common in India. — Swallow warbler (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of East Indian and Australian singing birds of the genus Dicæum. They are allied to the honeysuckers.
SWALLOW Swal"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swallowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swallowing.] Etym: [OE. swolewen, swolwen, swolhen, AS. swelgan; akin to D. zwelgen, OHG. swelahan, swelgan, G. schwelgen to feast, to revel, Icel. svelgia to swallow, SW. svälja, Dan. svælge. Cf. Groundsel a plant.]
1. To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet, or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or drink. As if I had swallowed snowballs for pills. Shak.
2. To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb — usuallyfollowed by up. Milton.The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses.Num. xvi. 32.
3. To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without examination or scruple; to receive implicitly. Though that story . . . be not so readily swallowed. Sir T. Browne.
4. To engross; to appropriate; — usually with up. Homer excels . . . in this, that he swallowed up the honor of those who succeeded him. Pope.
5. To occupy; to take up; to employ. The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time. Locke.
6. To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume. Corruption swallowed what the liberal hand Of bounty scattered. Thomson.
7. To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions. "Swallowed his vows whole." Shak.
8. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation; as, to swallow an affront or insult.
Syn.— To absorb; imbibe; ingulf; engross; consume. See Absorb.
SWALLOWSwal"low, v. i.
Defn: To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe he is unable to swallow.
SWALLOWSwal"low, n.
1. The act of swallowing.
2. The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.
3. Taste; relish; inclination; liking. [Colloq.] I have no swallow for it. Massinger.
4. Capacity for swallowing; voracity. There being nothing too gross for the swallow of political rancor. Prof. Wilson.
5. As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow of water.
6. That which ingulfs; a whirlpool. [Obs.] Fabyan.
SWALLOWERSwal"low*er, n.
Defn: One who swallows; also, a glutton. Tatler.
SWALLOWFISHSwal"low*fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European sapphirine gurnard (Trigla hirundo). It has large pectoral fins.
SWALLOWTAILSwal"low*tail`, n.
1. (Carp.)
Defn: A kind of tenon or tongue used in making joints. See Dovetail.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A species of willow.
3. (Fort.)
Defn: An outwork with converging sides, its head or front forming a reëntrant angle; — so called from its form. Called also priestcap.
4. A swallow-tailed coat. This Stultz coat, a blue swallowtail, with yellow buttons. Thackeray.
5. An arrow. Sir W. Scott.
6. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of large and handsome butterflies, belonging to Papilio and allied genera, in which the posterior border of each hind wing is prolongated in the form of a long lobe.
Note: The black swallowtail, or asterias (see Papilio), the blue swallowtail, or philenor, the tiger swallowtail, or turnus (see Turnus), and the zebra swallowtail, or ajax (see under Zebra) are common American species. See also Troilus.
SWALLOW-TAILEDSwal"low-tailed`, a.
1. Having a tail like that of a swallow; hence, like a swallow's tail in form; having narrow and tapering or pointed skirts; as, a swallow- tailed coat.
2. (Carp.)
Defn: United by dovetailing; dovetailed. Swallow-tailed duck (Zoöl.), the old squaw. — Swallow-tailed gull (Zoöl.), an Arctic gull (Xema furcata), which has a deeply forked tail. — Swallow-tailed hawk or kite (Zoöl.), the fork-tailed kite. — Swallow-tailed moth (Zoöl.), a European moth (Urapteryx sambucaria) having tail-like lobes on the hind wings.
SWALLOWWORT Swal"low*wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) See Celandine. (b) A poisonous plant (Vincetoxicum officinale) of the Milkweed family, at one time used in medicine; — also called white swallowwort. African swallowwort, a plant of the genus Stapelia.
SWAMSwam,
Defn: imp. of Swim.
SWAMP Swamp, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. swam a fungus, OD. swam a sponge, D. zwam a fungus, G. schwamm a sponge, Icel. svöppr, Dan. & Sw. swamp, Goth. swamms, Gr. somfo`s porous, spongy.]
Defn: Wet, spongy land; soft, low ground saturated with water, but not usually covered with it; marshy ground away from the seashore. Gray swamps and pools, waste places of the hern. Tennyson. A swamp differs from a bog and a marsh in producing trees and shrubs, while the latter produce only herbage, plants, and mosses. Farming Encyc. (E. Edwards, Words). Swamp blackbird. (Zoöl.) See Redwing (b). — Swamp cabbage (Bot.), skunk cabbage. — Swamp deer (Zoöl.), an Asiatic deer (Rucervus Duvaucelli) of India. — Swamp hen. (Zoöl.) (a) An Australian azure-breasted bird (Porphyrio bellus); — called also goollema. (b) An Australian water crake, or rail (Porzana Tabuensis); — called also little swamp hen. (c) The European purple gallinule. — Swamp honeysuckle (Bot.), an American shrub (Azalea, or Rhododendron, viscosa) growing in swampy places, with fragrant flowers of a white color, or white tinged with rose; — called also swamp pink. — Swamp hook, a hook and chain used by lumbermen in handling logs. Cf. Cant hook. — Swamp itch. (Med.) See Prairie itch, under Prairie. — Swamp laurel (Bot.), a shrub (Kalmia glauca) having small leaves with the lower surface glaucous. — Swamp maple (Bot.), red maple. See Maple. — Swamp oak (Bot.), a name given to several kinds of oak which grow in swampy places, as swamp Spanish oak (Quercus palustris), swamp white oak (Q. bicolor), swamp post oak (Q. lyrata). — Swamp ore (Min.), big ore; limonite. — Swamp partridge (Zoöl.), any one of several Australian game birds of the genera Synoicus and Excalfatoria, allied to the European partridges. — Swamp robin (Zoöl.), the chewink. — Swamp sassafras (Bot.), a small North American tree of the genus Magnolia (M. glauca) with aromatic leaves and fragrant creamy-white blossoms; — called also sweet bay. — Swamp sparrow (Zoöl.), a common North American sparrow (Melospiza Georgiana, or M. palustris), closely resembling the song sparrow. It lives in low, swampy places. — Swamp willow. (Bot.) See Pussy willow, under Pussy.
SWAMPSwamp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swamped; p. pr. & vb. n. Swamping.]
1. To plunge or sink into a swamp.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To cause (a boat) to become filled with water; to capsize or sink by whelming with water.
3. Fig.: To plunge into difficulties and perils; to overwhelm; to ruin; to wreck. The Whig majority of the house of Lords was swamped by the creation of twelve Tory peers. J. R. Green. Having swamped himself in following the ignis fatuus of a theory. Sir W. Hamilton.
SWAMPSwamp, v. i.
1. To sink or stick in a swamp; figuratively, to become involved in insuperable difficulties.
2. To become filled with water, as a boat; to founder; to capsize or sink; figuratively, to be ruined; to be wrecked.
SWAMPYSwamp"y, a.
Defn: Consisting of swamp; like a swamp; low, wet, and spongy; as, swampy land.
SWANSwan, n. Etym: [AS. swan; akin to D. zwaan, OHG. swan, G. schwan,Icel. svanr, Sw. svan, Dan. svane; and perhaps to E. sound somethingaudible.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of large aquatic birds belonging to Cygnus, Olor, and allied genera of the subfamily Cygninæ. They have a large and strong beak and a long neck, and are noted for their graceful movements when swimming. Most of the northern species are white. In literature the swan was fabled to sing a melodious song, especially at the time of its death.
Note: The European white, or mute, swan (Cygnus gibbus), which is most commonly domesticated, bends its neck in an S-shaped curve. The whistling, or trumpeting, swans of the genus Olor do not bend the neck in an S-shaped curve, and are noted for their loud and sonorous cry, due to complex convolutions of the windpipe. To this genus belong the European whooper, or whistling swan (Olor cygnus), the American whistling swan (O. Columbianus), and the trumpeter swan (O. buccinator). The Australian black swan (Chenopis atrata) is dull black with white on the wings, and has the bill carmine, crossed with a white band. It is a very graceful species and is often domesticated. The South American black-necked swan (Sthenelides melancorypha) is a very beautiful and graceful species, entirely white, except the head and neck, which are dark velvety seal-brown. Its bill has a double bright rose-colored knob.
2. Fig.: An appellation for a sweet singer, or a poet noted for grace and melody; as Shakespeare is called the swan of Avon.
3. (Astron.)
Defn: The constellation Cygnus. Swan goose (Zoöl.), a bird of India(Cygnopsis cygnoides) resembling both the swan and the goose.— Swan shot, a large size of shot used in fowling.
SWANGSwang, obs.
Defn: imp. of Swing.
SWANGSwang, n. Etym: [Cf. Swamp.]
Defn: A swamp. [Prov. Eng.]
SWANHERDSwan"herd`, n.
Defn: One who tends or marks swans; as, the royal swanherd ofEngland.
SWAN-HOPPINGSwan"-hop`ping, n.
Defn: A corruption of Swan-upping. [Eng.] Encyc. Brit.
SWANIMOTESwan"i*mote, n. (Eng. Forest Law)
Defn: See Swainmote.
SWANKIE; SWANKYSwank"ie, Swank"y, n. Etym: [Cf. G. schwank flexible, pliant.]
Defn: An active and clever young fellow. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
SWANLIKESwan"like`, a.
Defn: Resembling a swan.
SWANMARKSwan"mark`, n.
Defn: A mark of ownership cut on the bill or swan. [Eng.] Encyc.Brit.
SWANNERYSwan"ner*y, n.
Defn: A place where swans are bred. "The largest swannery inEngland." Encyc. Brit.
SWANNYSwan"ny, a.
Defn: Swanlike; as, a swanny glossiness of the neck. Richardson.
SWANPANSwan"pan, n. Etym: [Cf. Schwanpan.]
Defn: The Chinese abacus; a schwanpan. S. W. Williams.
SWAN'S-DOWN; SWANS-DOWNSwan's"-down`, or; Swans"-down`, n.
1. The down, or fine, soft feathers, of the swan, used on various articles of dress.
2. A fine, soft, thick cloth of wool mixed with silk or cotton; a sort of twilled fustian, like moleskin. Swan's-down cotton. See Cotton flannel, under Cotton.
SWANSKINSwan"skin`, n.
1. The act of a swan with the down or the feathers on.
2. A species of soft flannel, thick and warm.
SWAN-UPPINGSwan"-up`ping, n.
Defn: A yearly expedition on the Thames to take up young swans and mark them, as by Companies of Dyers and Vintners; — called also swan-hopping. [Eng.] Encyc. Brit.
SWAPSwap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Swapping.] Etym:[OE. swappen to strike; cf. E. to strike a bargain; perh. akin to E.sweep. Cf. Swap a blow, Swap, v. i.] [Written also swop.]
1. To strike; — with off. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] "Swap off his head!" Chaucer.
2. To exchange (usually two things of the same kind); to swop. [Colloq.] Miss Edgeworth.
SWAPSwap, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Swap, v. t.]
1. To fall or descend; to rush hastily or violently. C. Richardson (Dict.). All suddenly she swapt adown to ground. Chaucer.
2. To beat the air, or ply the wings, with a sweeping motion or noise; to flap.
SWAP Swap, n. Etym: [Cf. G. schwapp, n., a slap, swap, schwapp, schwapps, interj., slap! smack! and E. swap, v.t.]
1. A blow; a stroke. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
2. An exchange; a barter. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott.
SWAPSwap, adv. Etym: [See Swap, n.]
Defn: Hastily. [Prov. Eng.]
SWAPESwape, n.
Defn: See Sweep, n., 12.
SWARDSward, n. Etym: [AS. sweard skin, covering; akin to OFries. swarge,D. zwoord, G. schwarte, Icel. svör skin, sward of the earth.]
1. Skin; covering. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
2. The grassy surface of land; that part of the soil which is filled with the roots of grass; turf. The sward was trim as any garden lawn. Tennyson. Sward pork, bacon in large fitches. [Prov. Eng.]
SWARDSward, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Swarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Swarding.]
Defn: To produce sward upon; to cover, or be covered, with sward.Mortimer.
SWARD-CUTTER Sward"-cut`ter, n. (a) A plow for turning up grass land. (b) A lawn mower.
SWARDEDSward"ed, a.
Defn: Covered with sward. Mrs. Browning.
SWARDYSward"y, a.
Defn: Covered with sward or grass.
SWARESware,
Defn: imp. of Swear. [Obs. or Poetic]Cophetua sware a royal oath. Tennyson.
SWARFSwarf, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Swerve.]
Defn: To grow languid; to faint. [Scot.] "To swarf for very hunger."Sir W. Scott.
SWARFSwarf, n. Etym: [Cf. Swerve.]
Defn: The grit worn away from grindstones in grinding cutlery wet.[Prov. Eng.]
SWARMSwarm, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Swerve.]
Defn: To climb a tree, pole, or the like, by embracing it with the arms and legs alternately. See Shin. [Colloq.] At the top was placed a piece of money, as a prize for those who could swarm up and seize it. W. Coxe.
SWARMSwarm, n. Etym: [OE. swarm, AS. swearm; akin to D. zwerm, G. schwarm,OHG. swaram, Icel. svarmr a tumult, Sw. svärm a swarm, Dan. sværm,and G. schwirren to whiz, to buzz, Skr. svar to sound, and perhaps toE. swear. *177. Cf. Swerve, Swirl.]
1. A large number or mass of small animals or insects, especially when in motion. "A deadly swarm of hornets." Milton.
2. Especially, a great number of honeybees which emigrate from a hive at once, and seek new lodgings under the direction of a queen; a like body of bees settled permanently in a hive. "A swarm of bees." Chaucer.
3. Hence, any great nimber or multitude, as of people in motion, or sometimes of inanimate objects; as, a swarm of meteorites. Those prodigious swarms that had settled themselves in every part of it [Italy]. Addison.
Syn.— Multitude; crowd; throng.
SWARMSwarm, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swarmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swarming.]
1. To collect, and depart from a hive by flight in a body; — said of bees; as, bees swarm in warm, clear days in summer.
2. To appear or collect in a crowd; to throng together; to congregate in a multitude. Chaucer.
3. To be crowded; to be thronged with a multitude of beings in motion. Every place swarms with soldiers. Spenser.
4. To abound; to be filled (with). Atterbury.
5. To breed multitudes. Not so thick swarmed once the soil Bedropped with blood of Gorgon. Milton.
SWARMSwarm, v. t.
Defn: To crowd or throng. Fanshawe.
SWARMSPORESwarm"spore`, n.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: One of innumerable minute, motile, reproductive bodies, produced asexually by certain algæ and fungi; a zoöspore.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the minute flagellate germs produced by the sporulation of a protozoan; — called also zoöspore.
SWARTSwart, n.
Defn: Sward. [Obs.] Holinshed.
SWART Swart, a. Etym: [OE. swart, AS. sweart black; akin to OFries, OS. & LG. swart, D. zwart, G. schwartz, OHG. swarz, Icel. svarir, Sw. svart, Dan. sort, Goth. swarts; cf. L. sordes dirt, sordere to be dirty. Cf. Sordid, Surd.]
1. Of a dark hue; moderately black; swarthy; tawny. "Swart attendants." Trench. "Swart savage maids." Hawthorne. A nation strange, with visage swart. Spenser.
2. Gloomy; malignant. [Obs.] Milton. Swart star, the Dog Star; — so called from its appearing during the hot weather of summer, which makes swart the countenance. [R.] Milton.
SWARTSwart, v. t.
Defn: To make swart or tawny; as, to swart a living part. Sir T.Browne.
SWARTBACKSwart"back`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The black-backed gull (Larus marinus); — called also swarbie.[Prov. Eng.]
SWARTHSwarth, a.
Defn: Swart; swarthy. "A swarth complexion." Chapman.
SWARTHSwarth, n.
Defn: An apparition of a person about to die; a wraith. [Prov. Eng.]Grose.
SWARTHSwarth, n. Etym: [See Sward.]
Defn: Sward; short grass.Grassy swarth, close cropped by nibbling sheep. Cowper.
SWARTHSwarth, n.
Defn: See Swath.
SWARTHILYSwarth"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a swarthy manner; with a tawny hue; duskily.
SWARTHINESSSwarth"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being swarthy; a dusky or dark complexion; tawniness.
SWARTHNESSSwarth"*ness, n.
Defn: Swarthiness. [R.] Dr. R. Clerke.
SWARTHYSwarth"y, a. [Compar. Swarthier; superl. Swarthiest.] Etym: [SeeSwart, a.]
Defn: Being of a dark hue or dusky complexion; tawny; swart; as, swarthy faces. "A swarthy Ethiope." Shak. Their swarthy hosts would darken all our plains. Addison.
SWARTHYSwarth"y, v. t.
Defn: To make swarthy. [Obs.] Cowley.
SWARTINESSSwart"i*ness, n.
Defn: Swarthiness. [Obs.]
SWARTISHSwart"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat swart, dark, or tawny.
SWARTNESSSwart"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being swart.
SWARTYSwart"y, a.
Defn: Swarthy; tawny. [Obs.] Burton.
SWARVESwarve, v. i. Etym: [See Swerve.]
1. To swerve. [Obs. or Scot.] Spenser. Jamieson.
2. To climb. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
SWASHSwash, n. Etym: [Cf. Swash, v. i., Squash, v. t.] (Arch.)
Defn: An oval figure, whose moldings are oblique to the axis of the work. Moxon. Swash plate (Mach.), a revolving circular plate, set obliquely on its shaft, and acting as a cam to give a reciprocating motion to a rod in a direction parallel to the shaft.
SWASHSwash, a. Etym: [Cf. Swash, v. i., Squash, v. t.]
Defn: Soft, like fruit too ripe; swashy. [Prov. Eng.] Pegge.
SWASHSwash, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swashing.] Etym:[Probably of imitative origin; cf. Sw. svasska to splash, and, forsense 3, Sw. svassa to bully, to rodomontade.]
1. To dash or flow noisily, as water; to splash; as, water swashing on a shallow place.
2. To fall violently or noisily. [Obs.] Holinshed.
3. To bluster; to make a great noise; to vapor or brag.
SWASHSwash, n.
1. Impulse of water flowing with violence; a dashing or splashing of water.
2. A narrow sound or channel of water lying within a sand bank, or between a sand bank and the shore, or a bar over which the sea washes.
3. Liquid filth; wash; hog mash. [Obs.]
4. A blustering noise; a swaggering behavior. [Obs.]
5. A swaggering fellow; a swasher.
SWASHBUCKLERSwash"buc`kler, n.
Defn: A bully or braggadocio; a swaggering, boastful fellow; a swaggerer. Milton.
SWASHERSwash"er, n.
Defn: One who makes a blustering show of valor or force of arms.Shak.
SWASHINGSwash"ing, a.
1. Swaggering; hectoring. "A swashing and martial outside." Shak.
2. Resounding; crushing. "Swashing blow." Shak.
SWASHWAYSwash"way`, n.
Defn: Same as 4th Swash, 2.
SWASHYSwash"y, a.
Defn: Soft, like fruit that is too ripe; quashy; swash. [Prov. Eng.]
SWASTIKA; SWASTICA Swas"ti*ka, Swas"ti*ca, n. [Also suastica, svastika, etc.] [Skr. svastika, fr. svasti walfare; su well + asti being.]
Defn: A symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms at right angles all in the same direction, and each prolonged to the height of the parallel arm of the cross. A great many modified forms exist, ogee and volute as well as rectilinear, while various decorative designs, as Greek fret or meander, are derived from or closely associated with it. The swastika is found in remains from the Bronze Age in various parts of Europe, esp. at Hissarlik (Troy), and was in frequent use as late as the 10th century. It is found in ancient Persia, in India, where both Jains and Buddhists used (or still use) it as religious symbol, in China and Japan, and among Indian tribes of North, Central, and South America. It is usually thought to be a charm, talisman, or religious token, esp. a sign of good luck or benediction. Max MüLler distinguished from the swastika, with arms prolonged to the right, the suavastika, with arms prolonged to the left, but this distinction is not commonly recognized. Other names for the swastika are fylfot and gammadion.
SWATSwat, obs.
Defn: imp. of Sweat. Chaucer.
SWATCHSwatch, n.
1. A swath. [Obs.] Tusser.
2. A piece, pattern, or sample, generally of cloth. Halliwell. Jamieson.
SWATESwate, obs.
Defn: imp. of Sweat. Thomson.
SWATH Swath, n. Etym: [AS. swa a track, trace; akin to D. zwaad, zwad, zwade, a swath of grass, G. schwad, schwaden; perhaps, originally, a shred. Cf. Swathe, v. t.]
1. A line of grass or grain cut and thrown together by the scythe in mowing or cradling.
2. The whole sweep of a scythe, or the whole breadth from which grass or grain is cut by a scythe or a machine, in mowing or cradling; as, to cut a wide swath.
3. A band or fillet; a swathe. Shak. Swath bank, a row of new-mown grass. [Prov. Eng.]
SWATHESwathe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swathed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swathing.] Etym:[OE. swathen, AS. swe. See Swath, n., and cf. Swaddle.]
Defn: To bind with a swathe, band, bandage, or rollers. Their children are never swathed or bound about with any thing when they are first born. Abp. Abbot.
SWATHESwathe, n.
Defn: A bandage; a band; a swath.Wrapped me in above an hundred yards of swathe. Addison.Milk and a swathe, at first, his whole demand. Young.The solemn glory of the afternoon, with its long swathes of lightbetween the far off rows of limes. G. Eliot.
SWATHERSwath"er, n. Etym: [See Swath, n.] (Agric.)
Defn: A device attached to a mowing machine for raising the uncut fallen grain and marking the limit of the swath.
SWATTESwat"te, obs.
Defn: imp. of Sweat. Chaucer.
SWAYSway, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swaying.] Etym:[OE. sweyen, Icel. sveigja, akin to E. swing; cf. D. zwaaijen towield, swing. See Swing, and cf. Swag, v. i.]
1. To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield; as, to sway the scepter. As sparkles from the anvil rise, When heavy hammers on the wedge are swayed. Spenser.
2. To influence or direct by power and authority; by persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. The will of man is by his reason swayed. Shak. She could not sway her house. Shak. This was the race To sway the world, and land and sea subdue. Dryden.
3. To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp; as, reeds swayed by wind; judgment swayed by passion. As bowls run true by being made On purpose false, and to be swayed. Hudibras. Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest. Tillotson.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: To hoist; as, to sway up the yards.
Syn. — To bias; rule; govern; direct; influence; swing; move; wave; wield.
SWAYSway, v. i.
1. To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline. The balance sways on our part. Bacon.
2. To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward.
3. To have weight or influence. The example of sundry churches . . . doth sway much. Hooker.
4. To bear sway; to rule; to govern. Hadst thou swayed as kings should do. Shak.
SWAYSway, n.
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-BACKEDSway"-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-BRACINGSway"-bra`cing, n. (Engin.)
Defn: The horizontal bracing of a bridge, which prevents its swaying.
SWAYEDSwayed, a.
Defn: Bent down, and hollow in the back; sway-backed; — said of a horse. Shak.
SWAYFULSway"ful, a.
Defn: Able to sway. [R.] Rush.
SWAYINGSway"ing, n.
Defn: An injury caused by violent strains or by overloading; — said of the backs of horses. Crabb.
SWEALSweal, 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.
SWEALSweal, 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]
SWEARSwear, 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.
SWEARERSwear"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.
SWEARINGSwear"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.
SWEATSweat, 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.
SWEATSweat, 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.), asmall closet in which refractory men are confined.— Sweat glands (Anat.), sudoriferous glands. See underSudoriferous.
SWEATERSweat"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]
SWEATILYSweat"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a sweaty manner.
SWEATINESSSweat"i*ness, n.
Defn: Quality or state of being sweaty.
SWEATINGSweat"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.
SWEATYSweat"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.
SWEDESwede, n. Etym: [Cf. G. Schwede.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Sweden.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A Swedish turnip. See under Turnip.
SWEDENBORGIANSwe`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.
SWEDENBORGIANSwe`den*bor"gi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Swedenborg or his views.
SWEDENBORGIANISMSwe`den*bor"gi*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines of the Swedenborgians.
SWEDISHSwed"ish, a. Etym: [Cf. G. schwedisch, Sw. svensk.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Sweden or its inhabitants. Swedish turnip.(Bot.) See under Turnip.
SWEDISHSwed"ish, n.
Defn: The language of Swedes.
SWEENYSwee"ny, n. (Far.)
Defn: An atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder in horses; also, atrophy of any muscle in horses. [Written also swinney.]
SWEEPSweep, 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.
SWEEPSweep, 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.
SWEEPSweep, 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.
SWEEPAGESweep"age, n.
Defn: The crop of hay got in a meadow. [Prov. Eng.]
SWEEPERSweep"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.
SWEEPINGSweep"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.
SWEEPINGSSweep"ings, n. pl.
Defn: Things collected by sweeping; rubbish; as, the sweepings of a street.
SWEEP-SAWSweep"-saw`, n.
Defn: A bow-saw.
SWEEPSTAKESweep"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.
SWEEPSTAKESSweep"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.
SWEEPWASHERSweep"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.
SWEEPYSweep"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.
SWEETSweet, 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 ofdomestic 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.
SWEETSweet, adv.
Defn: Sweetly. Shak.
SWEETSweet, v. t.
Defn: To sweeten. [Obs.] Udall.
SWEETBREADSweet"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-BREASTEDSweet"-breast`ed, a.
Defn: Having a sweet, musical voice, as the nightingale. Cf. Breast, n., 6. [Obs.]
SWEETBRIERSweet"bri`er, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of rose (Rosa rubiginosa) with minutely glandular and fragrant foliage. The small-flowered sweetbrier is Rosa micrantha.
SWEETENSweet"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.
SWEETENSweet"en, v. i.
Defn: To become sweet. Bacon.
SWEETENERSweet"en*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, sweetens; one who palliates; that which moderates acrimony.
SWEETENINGSweet"en*ing, n.
1. The act of making sweet.
2. That which sweetens.
SWEETHEARTSweet"heart`, n.
Defn: A lover of mistress.
SWEETHEARTINGSweet"heart`ing, n.
Defn: Making love. "To play at sweethearting." W. Black.
SWEETINGSweet"ing, n.
1. A sweet apple. Ascham.
2. A darling; — a word of endearment. Shak.
SWEETISHSweet"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat sweet.— Sweet"ish*ness, n.
SWEETLYSweet"ly, adv. Etym: [AS. swetlice.]
Defn: In a sweet manner.
SWEETMEATSweet"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.]
SWEETNESSSweet"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.
SWEETROOTSweet"root`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Licorice.
SWEET-SCENTEDSweet"-scent`ed, a.