swallow1

[swol-oh] /ˈswɒl oʊ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to take into the stomach by drawing through the throat and esophagus with a voluntary muscular action, as food, drink, or other substances.
2.
to take in so as to envelop; withdraw from sight; assimilate or absorb:
He was swallowed by the crowd.
3.
to accept without question or suspicion.
4.
to accept without opposition; put up with:
to swallow an insult.
5.
to accept for lack of an alternative:
Consumers will have to swallow new price hikes.
6.
to suppress (emotion, a laugh, a sob, etc.) as if by drawing it down one's throat.
7.
to take back; retract:
to swallow one's words.
8.
to enunciate poorly; mutter:
He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
9.
to perform the act of swallowing.
noun
10.
the act or an instance of swallowing.
11.
a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful:
Take one swallow of brandy.
12.
capacity for swallowing.
13.
Also called crown, throat. Nautical, Machinery. the space in a block, between the groove of the sheave and the shell, through which the rope runs.
Origin
before 1000; (v.) Middle English swalwen, variant of swelwen, Old English swelgan; cognate with German schwelgen; akin to Old Norse svelgja; (noun) Middle English swalwe, swolgh throat, abyss, whirlpool, Old English geswelgh (see y-); akin to Middle Low German swelch, Old High German swelgo glutton, Old Norse svelgr whirlpool, devourer
Related forms
swallowable, adjective
swallower, noun
unswallowable, adjective
unswallowed, adjective
Synonyms
1. eat, gulp, drink. 2. engulf, devour. 10. gulp, draught, drink.

swallow2

[swol-oh] /ˈswɒl oʊ/
noun
1.
any of numerous small, long-winged passerine birds of the family Hirundinidae, noted for their swift, graceful flight and for the extent and regularity of their migrations.
Compare bank swallow, barn swallow, martin.
2.
any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
Origin
before 900; Middle English swalwe, Old English swealwe; cognate with German Schwalbe, Old Norse svala
Examples from the web for swallow
  • If you swallow toothpaste that does not contain fluoride, you may not need to go to the hospital.
  • The western counterpart of the tree swallow, the violet-green swallow has narrower wings and a shorter tail.
  • He wasn't consciously lying, which is why he spoke with conviction, but that still doesn't mean you should swallow his tale.
  • In fact, if they swallow something too big, they spit it out.
  • As days shorten, lengthening shadows seem to swallow every thing north of walls and trees.
  • Then swallow the fact that this was all shot with a cellphone camera posted way up in a cherry picker.
  • In some ways their success was an even more bitter pill to swallow.
  • Public transport does not come cheap-a single light rail scheme can easily swallow up several hundred million pounds.
  • Pythons then open their hinged jaws wide to swallow their prey whole.
  • Most large animals have to chew food extensively and form it into a mushy ball that's easy to swallow.
British Dictionary definitions for swallow

swallow1

/ˈswɒləʊ/
verb (mainly transitive)
1.
to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus
2.
(often foll by up) to engulf or destroy as if by ingestion: Nazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
3.
(informal) to believe gullibly: he will never swallow such an excuse
4.
to refrain from uttering or manifesting: to swallow one's disappointment
5.
to endure without retaliation
6.
to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter
7.
(often foll by down) to eat or drink reluctantly
8.
(intransitive) to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping
9.
swallow one's words, to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
10.
the act of swallowing
11.
the amount swallowed at any single time; mouthful
12.
(nautical) Also called crown, throat. the opening between the shell and the groove of the sheave of a block, through which the rope is passed
13.
(rare) another word for throat, gullet
14.
(rare) a capacity for swallowing; appetite
Derived Forms
swallowable, adjective
swallower, noun
Word Origin
Old English swelgan; related to Old Norse svelga, Old High German swelgan to swallow, Swedish svalg gullet

swallow2

/ˈswɒləʊ/
noun
1.
any passerine songbird of the family Hirundinidae, esp Hirundo rustica (common or barn swallow), having long pointed wings, a forked tail, short legs, and a rapid flight related adjective hirundine
2.
See fairy swallow
Derived Forms
swallow-like, adjective
Word Origin
Old English swealwe; related to Old Frisian swale, Old Norse svala, Old High German swalwa
Word Origin and History for swallow
v.

"take in through the throat," Old English swelgan (class III strong verb; past tense swealg, past participle swolgen), from Proto-Germanic *swelkh-/*swelg- (cf. Old Saxon farswelgan, Old Norse svelgja "to swallow," Middle Dutch swelghen, Dutch zwelgen "to gulp, swallow," Old High German swelahan "to swallow," German schwelgen "to revel"), probably from PIE base *swel- (1) "to eat, drink." Cognate with Old Norse svelgr "whirlpool," literally "devourer, swallower." Sense of "consume, destroy" is attested from mid-14c. Meaning "to accept without question" is from 1590s. Related: Swallowed; swallowing. The noun meaning "an act of swallowing" is recorded from 1822.

n.

migratory bird (family Hirundinidae), Old English swealwe, from Proto-Germanic *swalwon (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old Frisian, Swedish svala, Danish svale, Middle Dutch zwalewe, Dutch zwaluw, Old High German swalawa, German Schwalbe), from PIE *swol-wi- (cf. Russian solowej, Slovak slavik, Polish słowik "nightinggale"). The etymological sense is disputed. Popularly regarded as a harbinger of summer; swallows building nests on or near a house is considered good luck.

swallow in Medicine

swallow swal·low (swŏl'ō)
v. swal·lowed, swal·low·ing, swal·lows
To pass something, as food or drink, through the mouth and throat into the stomach.

swallow in the Bible

(1.) Heb. sis (Isa. 38:14; Jer. 8:7), the Arabic for the swift, which "is a regular migrant, returning in myriads every spring, and so suddenly that while one day not a swift can be seen in the country, on the next they have overspread the whole land, and fill the air with their shrill cry." The swift (cypselus) is ordinarily classed with the swallow, which it resembles in its flight, habits, and migration. (2.) Heb. deror, i.e., "the bird of freedom" (Ps. 84:3; Prov. 26:2), properly rendered swallow, distinguished for its swiftness of flight, its love of freedom, and the impossibility of retaining it in captivity. In Isa. 38:14 and Jer. 8:7 the word thus rendered ('augr) properly means "crane" (as in the R.V.).

Idioms and Phrases with swallow

swallow

also see:
bitter pill to swallow