释义 |
swal·low I. \ˈswä(ˌ)lō, -_lə also ˈswȯ(-; -_ləw, -_lō+V; dial, or NE+V, -_lər\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English swalwe, swalowe, from Old English swealwe, swealewe; akin to Old High German swalawa swallow, Old Norse svala swallow, Russian soloveĭ nightingale 1. : any of numerous small long-winged passerine birds (family Hirundinidae) that are noted for their graceful flight and regular migrations, have a short bill with a wide gape, small weak feet, plumage usually iridescent above, and often a deeply forked tail, occur in all parts of the world except New Zealand and polar regions, and feed on insects caught on the wing — see bank swallow, barn swallow, martin 2. : any of several swifts (as the chimney swift) that superficially resemble swallows — see sea swallow, wood swallow
[swallow 1] II. verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English swalowen, swelewen, from Old English swelgan; akin to Old High German swelgan, swelahan to swallow, Old Norse svelgja transitive verb 1. a. : to take through the esophagus into the stomach : receive into the body through the mouth and throat < swallowing pint after pint of strong old ale — G.G.Carter > b. : to eat hurriedly without careful chewing : gulp down < swallowed his lunch and rushed out > 2. a. : to cause to disappear : envelop completely : engulf, devour < admire the view before the night swallowed it — Claud Cockburn > < history is big enough to swallow us too — H.J.Muller > — often used with up < wished the floor … would open and swallow her up — Fortnight > b. : to cause to become insignificant or unnoticeable : displace < in danger of being swallowed by the world — R.W.Southern > — usually used with up < had been swallowed up by the fame of the man he later came to be — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson > < the theory of electromagnetism swallowed up the theory of light — A.N.Whitehead > c. : to cause to become engrossed : occupy completely — usually used with up 3. a. : to absorb eagerly or easily (as with the mind) < could not swallow books like oysters — Francis Biddle > b. : to grasp fully : comprehend < her head could not swallow it — R.A.W.Hughes > c. : to seize for oneself : appropriate < feared that his … neighbors … would swallow him and his people — A.P.Ryan > — often used with up < city after city was swallowed up — G.G.Coulton > 4. : to accept readily without question < city fathers who couldn't quite swallow the idea of being ruled by a 17-year-old girl — C.M.L.Beuf > especially : to believe implicitly and often naïvely < swallowed his every remark as gospel — Rex Ingamells > < his talks were listened to with openmouthed attention and duly swallowed whole — Polly Adler > 5. : to make a retraction of : recant < offered the opportunity of swallowing their views and fading away without harsher punishment — Time > 6. : to put up with : accept submissively : endure < swallowed an injustice which others would not have tolerated — R.G.Adams > 7. : to refrain from expressing or showing : repress < pride was swallowed and the government retreated — J.H.Plumb > < swallowed a smile — Hamilton Basso > 8. : to utter (as words) indistinctly through failure to open the mouth wide enough < swallowed so many of his words that he might as well have been singing in Esperanto — Robert Evett > intransitive verb 1. : to receive something into the body through the mouth and throat < finished chewing and swallowed > 2. : to perform the action characteristic of swallowing something especially under emotional stress < swallowed hard and turned away — F.V.W.Mason > Synonyms: see eat • - swallow the anchor III. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English swalowe, swelowe, from Old English geswelg gulf, abyss; akin to Middle High German swalch abyss, gullet, Old Norse svelgr whirlpool, swallower, svelgja to swallow 1. a. archaic : a deep opening in the earth : chasm, abyss b. archaic (1) : a deep body of water (2) : whirlpool c. or swallow hole chiefly Britain : sink 5 2. a. : a passage connecting the mouth to the stomach b. : a part (as the pharynx, throat, esophagus) of this passage 3. a. : a capacity for swallowing : appetite < measures the honesty and understanding of mankind by a capaciousness of their swallow — Henry Fielding > b. : a capacity for believing < he believes with the aid of those who have a bigger swallow — Leo Stein > 4. a. : an instance of swallowing : gulp < ate the canapé in one swallow > b. : an amount that can be swallowed at one time < took a swallow of brandy to clear his head > 5. : an aperture in a block on a ship between the sheave and frame through which the rope reeves |