Jump to content

sweal

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Middle English swelen, from Old English swelan (to burn, be burnt up, inflame) (compare Old English swǣlan (to burn)), from Proto-West Germanic *swelan, from Proto-Germanic *swelaną (to smoulder, burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (to shine, warm, smoulder, burn). Cognate with Dutch zwelen (to smoulder), Low German swelen (to smoulder), German schwelen (to smoulder), Icelandic svala (to cool). Related to swelter.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

sweal (third-person singular simple present sweals, present participle swealing, simple past and past participle swealed)

  1. (intransitive) To burn slowly.
  2. (intransitive) To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame.
  3. (transitive) To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing.
  4. (transitive, dialectal) To consume with fire; burn.
  5. (transitive, dialectal) To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce.

Anagrams

[edit]