Etymology : Middle English swalowe, from Old English swealwe; akin to Old High German swalawa swallow
Pronunciation : 'swä-(")lO
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. act of swallowing; gulp, drink, mouthful (of food, liquid, etc.); any of a number of migratory birds having long pointed wings and a forked tail. take into the stomach via the throat (as of food or drink); engulf, envelop; suppress one's emotions; put up with; take back, retract; believe without questioning, naively accept (Slang). white-bellied swallow.
2. Any one of numerous species of passerine birds of the family Hirundinidæ, especially one of those species in which the tail is deeply forked.
3. They have long, pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and gracefulness of their flight.
4. Any one of numerous species of swifts which resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the common American chimney swallow, or swift.
5. The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.
6. To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet, or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or drink.
7. To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb usually followed by up.
8. To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without examination or scruple; to receive implicitly.
9. To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
10. To occupy; to take up; to employ.
11. To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume.
12. To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions.
13. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation; as, to swallow an affront or insult.
14. To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe he is unable to swallow.
15. The act of swallowing.
16. The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.
17. Taste; relish; inclination; liking.
18. Capacity for swallowing; voracity.
19. As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow of water.
20. That which ingulfs; a whirlpool. the act of swallowing; "one swallow of the liquid was enough"; "he took a drink of his beer and smacked his lips" small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations a small amount of liquid food; "a sup of ale" believe or accept without questioning or challenge; "Am I supposed to swallow that story?" keep from expressing; "I swallowed my anger and kept quiet" take back what one has said; "He swallowed his words" utter indistinctly; "She swallowed the last words of her speech" engulf and destroy; "The Nazis swallowed the Baltic countries" pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!".
21. 1. If you swallow something, you cause it to go from your mouth down into your stomach. You are asked to swallow a capsule containing vitamin B Polly took a bite of the apple, chewed and swallowed. Swallow is also a noun. Jan lifted her glass and took a quick swallow.
22. If you swallow, you make a movement in your throat as if you are swallowing something, often because you are nervous or frightened. Nancy swallowed hard and shook her head.
23. If someone swallows a story or a statement, they believe it completely. It was vital that he swallowed the story about Juanita being in that motel room that night.
24. A swallow is a kind of small bird with pointed wings and a forked tail.
25. a bitter pill to swallow: see:
pill. Any of 74 species (family Hirundinidae) of songbirds found nearly worldwide. Swallows are 4-9 in. (10-23 cm) long, with long, pointed, narrow wings; a short bill; small, weak feet; and sometimes a forked tail. The dark upper plumage may have a metallic blue or green sheen. Swallows capture insects on the wing. They nest in tree holes, burrow into sandbank, or plaster mud nests to walls. Some species (e.g., the common swallow, Hirundo rustica) are long-distance migrants; all have a strong homing instinct. The swallows of California's San Juan Capistrano Mission are cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). See also martin.