Sweard, swērd, n. (Spens.) sword.
Sweat, swet, n. the moisture from the skin, the state of one who sweats, diaphoresis: labour: drudgery.—v.i. to give out sweat or moisture: to toil, drudge for poor wages: to suffer penalty, smart.—v.t. to give out, as sweat: to cause to sweat: to squeeze money or extortionate interest from, to compel to hard work for mean wages: to wear away or pare down by friction or other means, as coins: to scrape the sweat from a horse.—ns. Sweat′er, one who sweats, or that which causes sweating, a diaphoretic: a heavy kind of jersey used by persons in training for athletic contests, to reduce their weight: one who sweats coins: a London street ruffian in Queen Anne's time who prodded weak passengers with his sword-point; Sweat′iness; Sweat′ing-bath, a bath to promote perspiration; Sweat′ing-house, -room, a house, room, for sweating persons: a room for sweating cheese and carrying off the superfluous juices; Sweat′ing-sick′ness, an extremely fatal epidemic disorder which ravaged Europe, and esp. England, in the 15th and 16th centuries—a violent inflammatory fever, with a fetid perspiration over the whole body; Sweat′ing-sys′tem, the practice of working poor people at starvation wages, esp. in making up clothes in their own houses.—adj. Sweat′y, wet with sweat: consisting of sweat: laborious. [A.S. swát, sweat, swǽtan, to sweat; Dut. zweet; Low Ger. sweet, Ger. schweiss.]
Sweath-band, swēth′-band, n. (Spens.) a swaddling-band. [Swathe.]
Swede, swēd, n. a native of Sweden; a Swedish turnip.—adj. Swēd′ish, pertaining to Sweden, to Swedish turnips, gloves of undressed kid, &c.
Swedenborgian, swē-dn-bor′ji-an, n. one who holds the religious doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher (1688-1772), founder of the New Jerusalem Church.—n. Swedenbor′gianism.
Sweeny, swē′ni, n. atrophy of a muscle.
Sweep, swēp, v.t. to wipe or rub over with a brush or broom: to carry along or off by a long brushing stroke or force: to destroy or carry off at a stroke: to strike with a long stroke: to carry with pomp: to drag over: to pass rapidly over.—v.i. to pass swiftly and forcibly: to pass with pomp: to move with a long reach:—pa.t. and pa.p. swept.—n. act of sweeping: extent of a stroke, or of anything turning or in motion: prevalence, range: direction of a curve: the act of bringing into a general movement: rapid or wide-spread destructiveness: a curved approach before a building: a chimney-sweeper: (pl.) oars of great length used during a calm or in still water, either to assist the rudder or to propel the vessel.—n. Sweep′er.—adv. Sweep′ingly, in a sweeping manner.—n. Sweep′ingness.—n.pl. Sweep′ings, things collected by sweeping: rubbish.—ns. Sweep′-net, a net that embraces a large compass: Sweep′stake (Shak.), one who wins all—usually in pl. Sweep′stakes, a method of gambling by which several persons contribute each certain stakes, the whole of which fall to one in case of a certain event happening; Sweep′-wash′er, one who scrapes a little gold or silver from the sweepings of refineries.—adj. Sweep′y, swaying, sweeping, curving. [A.S. swápan; Ger. schweifen, Cf. Swoop.]
Sweer, Sweir, swēr, adj. (Scot.) lazy, unwilling. [A.S. swǽr, swár, heavy.]
Sweet, swēt, adj. pleasing to the taste or senses: tasting like sugar: fragrant: melodious: beautiful, grateful to the eye: fresh, as opposed to salt or to sour: pure: recent, not stale, sour, or putrid: mild, soft, gentle: kind, obliging.—n. a sweet substance: a term of endearment: (pl.) sweetmeats, confections: sweet dishes served at table, puddings, tarts, jellies, &c.—v.t. (obs.) to sweeten.—adj. Sweet′-and-twen′ty (Shak.), at once fair and young.—ns. Sweet′-bay, the laurel (Laurus nobilis); Sweet′bread, the pancreas of an animal used for food, both delicate and nutritious.—adj. Sweet′-breathed, sweet-smelling.—ns. Sweet′-brī′er, a thorny shrub of the rose kind resembling the brier, having a sweet smell; Sweet′-corn, a variety of maize.—v.t. Sweet′en, to make sweet: to make pleasing, mild, or kind: to increase the agreeable qualities of: to make pure and healthy.—ns. Sweet′ener, one who, or that which, sweetens; Sweet′ening, act of sweetening: that which sweetens; Sweet′-flag, -rush, an aromatic plant of the genus Acorus of the arum family; Sweet′heart, a lover or mistress.—n.pl. Sweet′ies, confections.—n. Sweet′ing, a sweet apple: (Shak.) a darling, a word of endearment.—adj. Sweet′ish, somewhat sweet to the taste.—ns. Sweet′ishness; Sweet′-john, a flower of the narrow-leaved varieties of a species of pink, Dianthus barbatus, as distinguished from other varieties called Sweet-william; Sweet′leaf, a small tree in the southern United States, having sweetish leaves relished by cattle and horses; Sweet′-lips, one whose lips are sweet—a term of endearment: the ballanwrasse, or Labrus maculatus.—adv. Sweet′ly.—ns. Sweet′-mar′joram, a fragrant species of marjoram; Sweet′meat, a confection made wholly or chiefly of sugar; Sweet′-nan′cy, the double-flowered variety of Narcissus poeticus; Sweet′ness; Sweet′-oil, olive-oil; Sweet′-pea, a pea cultivated for its fragrance and beauty; Sweet′-potā′to, a twining plant common in tropical and sub-tropical countries, having large sweetish edible tubers.—adj. Sweet′-scent′ed, having a sweet smell.—n. Sweet′-sop, a tropical American evergreen, also its pulpy fruit.—adj. Sweet′-tem′pered, having a mild, amiable disposition.—ns. Sweet′-wa′ter, a white variety of the European grape, with very sweet juice; Sweet′-will′iam, the bunch-pink, Dianthus barbatus, a garden flower of many colours and varieties; Sweet′wood, a name applied to various trees and shrubs of the laurel family found in South America and the West Indies.—Be sweet on, or upon, to be in love with. [A.S. swéte; Ger. süsz, Gr. hēdys, L. suavis, sweet, Sans. svad, to taste.]
Swell, swel, v.i. to grow larger: to expand: to rise into waves: to heave: to be inflated: to bulge out: to grow louder: to be bombastic, to strut: to become elated, arrogant, or angry: to grow upon the view: to grow more violent: to grow louder, as a note.—v.t. to increase the size of: to aggravate: to increase the sound of: to raise to arrogance: to augment the sound of:—pa.p. swelled or swollen (swōln).—n. act of swelling: a bulge or protuberance: increase in size: an increase and a succeeding decrease in the volume of a tone: a gradual rise of ground: a wave or billow or succession of them in one direction, as after a storm: a distinct set of pipes in an organ, enclosed in a case furnished with movable shutters which being more or less opened by means of a pedal, produce a swell of sound: (geol.) an upward protrusion of strata from whose central region the beds dip quaquaversally at a low angle: a strutting foppish fellow, a dandy.—adj. fashionable.—n. Swell′dom, the fashionable world generally.—adj. Swell′ing (B.), inflated, proud, haughty.—n. protuberance: a tumour: a rising, as of passion: (B.) inflation by pride.—adj. Swell′ish, foppish, dandified.—ns. Swell′-mob, well-dressed pickpockets collectively; Swell′-mobs′man, a well-dressed pickpocket. [A.S. swellan; Ger. schwellen.]