From Middle English swolwen, from Old English swelgan, from Proto-West Germanic *swelgan, from Proto-Germanic *swelganą (“to swallow, revel, devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *swelk- (“to gulp”). Cognate with Dutch zwelgen (“to revel, carouse, guzzle”), German schwelgen (“to delight, indulge”), Danish svælge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Bokmål svelge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Nynorsk svelgje (“to swallow”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Faroese svølgja (“to swallow”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill. The noun is from Middle English swolow, swolwe, from Old English swelh, swelg (“gulf, chasm”) and ġeswelge (“gulf, chasm, abyss, whirlpool”), both from Proto-West Germanic *swelg, *swalgi, from Proto-Germanic *swelgaz, *swalgiz. Cognate with Old English swiliġe (“pit”), Scots swelch, swellie, swallie (“an abyss in the sea, whirpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
Clothes are to be worn and food is to be swallowed: they remain trapped in the physical world.2011 April 21, Jonathan Jones, The Guardian:
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The four-and-one-half-day trial was centered on acts that neither she nor prosecutors dispute: On July 13, 2012, she drove her Lexus S.U.V. erratically after swallowing Zolpidem, a generic form of the sleep medication Ambien.2014 February 28, Joseph Berger, “Fast Acquittal for Kennedy, Whose Name Put Prosecutors in Bind”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2022:
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To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC:
His body, like so many others swallowed by the ocean's hungry maw, was never found.2010 October 28, “What are the wild waves saying”, in The Economist:
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Elsewhere still, they'd managed to find the wreck of a Japanese midget submarine, and so, when the battleships were done being swallowed by the seabed, some efforts were being made to haul this up as well.2020 November 11, Drachinifel, 25:13 from the start, in The Salvage of Pearl Harbor Pt 1 - The Smoke Clears, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2022:
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To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
She swallowed nervously then, appearing near sick with what she had to say.1979, VC Andrews, Flowers in the Attic:
4
To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
this humbug was readily swallowed by men who were supposed to be intelligent,1920, Romain Rolland, translated by Katherine Miller, Clerambault:
Most newspapers we saw swallowed whole an S.R. estimate that it would cost £20m to equip the Region with point heaters.1962 March, “Lessons of the Freeze-up”, in Modern Railways, page 146:
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Be careful of the Commie Lies / swallow them and freedom dies / The USA must realize / that she's the biggest prize.1965, “Commie Lies”, in Fascist Threat / Commie Lies, performed by Janet Greene:
Americans swallowed his tale because they wanted to.2011 April 22, Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian:
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To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
Homer excels […] in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him.1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “Book preface”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:
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To retract; to recant.
to swallow one's opinions
Left her in her tears, and dried not one of them with his comfort; swallowed his vows wholec. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
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To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
Euphemistic, Slang, Vulgar To prefer to swallow semen after oral sex, as opposed to spitting it out.
Was she straight or was she gay? Did she spit or swallow? Was she smooth or hairy down there? Questions, questions.2009 May 2, Teejay LeCapois, Fight Evil With Evil, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 333:
"Look, a man like me only wants three things out of life." Frank ticked them off on the fingers of his right hand. “A wife that can cook, a girlfriend who swallows, and a steady stream of non-taxable income."2012 December 1, Tim Maleeny, Greasing the Piñata, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:
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"Here is my little girlfriend who swallows, want to see her naked?"2015 January 13, Victoria Hirschfield, Inconception The Book, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 38:
From Middle English swolwen, from Old English swelgan, from Proto-West Germanic *swelgan, from Proto-Germanic *swelganą (“to swallow, revel, devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *swelk- (“to gulp”). Cognate with Dutch zwelgen (“to revel, carouse, guzzle”), German schwelgen (“to delight, indulge”), Danish svælge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Bokmål svelge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Nynorsk svelgje (“to swallow”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Faroese svølgja (“to swallow”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill. The noun is from Middle English swolow, swolwe, from Old English swelh, swelg (“gulf, chasm”) and ġeswelge (“gulf, chasm, abyss, whirlpool”), both from Proto-West Germanic *swelg, *swalgi, from Proto-Germanic *swelgaz, *swalgiz. Cognate with Old English swiliġe (“pit”), Scots swelch, swellie, swallie (“an abyss in the sea, whirpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
1
The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.
She took a swallow of milk and made a face. "This milk is blinky."1978, Tom Reamy, Blind Voices:
Archaic The mouth and throat; that which is used for swallowing; the gullet.
The door burst wide open, and he saw nothing but a gaping jaw extending from the threshold up to the lintel. "There is a mouthful for you," said the youngster, and threw the pauper boy into the swallow; "taste that! But let me see now who you are! Perhaps you are an old acquaintance?" And so it was; it was the devil who was about again.1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 103:
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Nautical, Transport The opening in a pulley block between the sheave and shell through which the rope passes.
In addition, j-lock shackles can pass through the swallow of a modern genoa track even with a sheet in tension already there, and this is very useful when preparing a sail change on the same tack.2008, Danilo Fabbroni, Rigging: Rig Your Boat Right for Racing or Cruising:
Blocks are made in a great variety of patterns. All are designed to be used one way. The rope goes through the swallow.2012, Percy W. Blandford, Practical Knots and Ropework, page 350:
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When specifying blocks, excessive friction is avoided by ensuring (a) that the diameter of the sheave is at least twice the circumference of the rope or six times its diameter (preferably more), and (b) that the 'swallow' of the block is substantially wider than the diameter of the rope, to avoid rubbing against the inside of the cheeks.2012, H.G. Hasler, J.K. McLeod, Practical Junk Rig, page 171:
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Nigeria Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing, commonly paired and eaten with various types of soup.
Etymology From Middle English swalwe, swalewe, swalowe, from Old English swealwe, from Proto-West Germanic *swalwā, from Proto-Germanic *swalwǭ. Cognate with Norwegian and Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.
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A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.