"sweal" meaning in English

See sweal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /swiːl/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sweal.wav Forms: sweals [present, singular, third-person], swealing [participle, present], swealed [participle, past], swealed [past], swale [alternative]
Rhymes: -iːl Etymology: 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. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|swelen}} Middle English swelen, {{inh|en|ang|swelan||to burn, be burnt up, inflame}} Old English swelan (“to burn, be burnt up, inflame”), {{cog|ang|swǣlan||to burn}} Old English swǣlan (“to burn”), {{inh|en|gmw-pro|*swelan}} Proto-West Germanic *swelan, {{inh|en|gem-pro|*swelaną||to smoulder, burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation}} Proto-Germanic *swelaną (“to smoulder, burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation”), {{der|en|ine-pro|*swel-||to shine, warm, smoulder, burn}} Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to shine, warm, smoulder, burn”), {{cog|nl|zwelen||to smoulder}} Dutch zwelen (“to smoulder”), {{cog|nds|swelen||to smoulder}} Low German swelen (“to smoulder”), {{cog|de|schwelen||to smoulder}} German schwelen (“to smoulder”), {{cog|is|svala||to cool}} Icelandic svala (“to cool”) Head templates: {{en-verb}} sweal (third-person singular simple present sweals, present participle swealing, simple past and past participle swealed)
  1. (intransitive) To burn slowly. Tags: intransitive Categories (topical): Fire
    Sense id: en-sweal-en-verb-CZxRcNuP Disambiguation of Fire: 33 15 28 14 10 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 56 24 6 2 11 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 63 18 6 4 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 74 11 5 3 7
  2. (intransitive) To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame. Tags: intransitive Categories (topical): Fire
    Sense id: en-sweal-en-verb-4~-lAuA- Disambiguation of Fire: 33 15 28 14 10
  3. (transitive) To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing. Tags: transitive Categories (topical): Fire
    Sense id: en-sweal-en-verb-DZ43C6pT Disambiguation of Fire: 33 15 28 14 10
  4. (transitive, dialectal) To consume with fire; burn. Tags: dialectal, transitive Categories (topical): Fire
    Sense id: en-sweal-en-verb-EoEioTct Disambiguation of Fire: 33 15 28 14 10
  5. (transitive, dialectal) To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce. Tags: dialectal, transitive Categories (topical): Fire
    Sense id: en-sweal-en-verb-qaXOLc9m Disambiguation of Fire: 33 15 28 14 10

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "swelen"
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      "expansion": "Middle English swelen",
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    },
    {
      "args": {
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "swelan",
        "4": "",
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    {
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        "1": "ang",
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      "expansion": "Old English swǣlan (“to burn”)",
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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        "4": "",
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    },
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to shine, warm, smoulder, burn"
      },
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      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zwelen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "swelen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
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      "expansion": "Low German swelen (“to smoulder”)",
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    {
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
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      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "svala",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to cool"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic svala (“to cool”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sweals",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swealing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
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    },
    {
      "form": "swealed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "swealed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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    },
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      "form": "swale",
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      "expansion": "sweal (third-person singular simple present sweals, present participle swealing, simple past and past participle swealed)",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "56 24 6 2 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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          "_dis": "63 18 6 4 10",
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          "_dis": "74 11 5 3 7",
          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "33 15 28 14 10",
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      "glosses": [
        "To burn slowly."
      ],
      "id": "en-sweal-en-verb-CZxRcNuP",
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        [
          "burn",
          "burn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To burn slowly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
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      "categories": [
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          "_dis": "33 15 28 14 10",
          "kind": "topical",
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          "name": "Fire",
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            "Light sources",
            "Chemical processes",
            "Light",
            "Nature",
            "Energy",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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        }
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        {
          "ref": "1816, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter V, in Tales of My Landlord, […], volume II (Old Mortality), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for William Blackwood, […]; London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 104:",
          "text": "[M]ind ye dinna let the candle sweal as ye gang alang the wainscot parlour, and haud a' the house scouring to get out the grease again.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame."
      ],
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        [
          "melt",
          "melt"
        ],
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          "waste away",
          "waste away"
        ],
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          "flame",
          "flame"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "33 15 28 14 10",
          "kind": "topical",
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            "Combustion",
            "Light sources",
            "Chemical processes",
            "Light",
            "Nature",
            "Energy",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
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        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing."
      ],
      "id": "en-sweal-en-verb-DZ43C6pT",
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        [
          "singe",
          "singe"
        ],
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          "scorch",
          "scorch"
        ]
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        "(transitive) To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
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      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "33 15 28 14 10",
          "kind": "topical",
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            "Combustion",
            "Light sources",
            "Chemical processes",
            "Light",
            "Nature",
            "Energy",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To consume with fire; burn."
      ],
      "id": "en-sweal-en-verb-EoEioTct",
      "links": [
        [
          "fire",
          "fire"
        ],
        [
          "burn",
          "burn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, dialectal) To consume with fire; burn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "33 15 28 14 10",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fire",
          "orig": "en:Fire",
          "parents": [
            "Combustion",
            "Light sources",
            "Chemical processes",
            "Light",
            "Nature",
            "Energy",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Baxter Dawes”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC, part II, page 377:",
          "text": "\"He thinks it's only a tumour!\" cried Annie to her mother. \"And he can sweal it away.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce."
      ],
      "id": "en-sweal-en-verb-qaXOLc9m",
      "links": [
        [
          "disappear",
          "disappear"
        ],
        [
          "diminish",
          "diminish"
        ],
        [
          "reduce",
          "reduce"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, dialectal) To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/swiːl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sweal.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a8/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-sweal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-sweal.wav.mp3",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːl"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sweal"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/iːl",
    "Rhymes:English/iːl/1 syllable",
    "en:Fire"
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  "etymology_templates": [
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        "1": "en",
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to smoulder, burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation"
      },
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        "5": "to shine, warm, smoulder, burn"
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      "name": "der"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zwelen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
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      "expansion": "Dutch zwelen (“to smoulder”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "swelen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
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      "expansion": "Low German swelen (“to smoulder”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "schwelen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to smoulder"
      },
      "expansion": "German schwelen (“to smoulder”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "svala",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to cool"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic svala (“to cool”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sweals",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swealing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swealed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swealed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To burn slowly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "burn",
          "burn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To burn slowly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1816, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter V, in Tales of My Landlord, […], volume II (Old Mortality), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for William Blackwood, […]; London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 104:",
          "text": "[M]ind ye dinna let the candle sweal as ye gang alang the wainscot parlour, and haud a' the house scouring to get out the grease again.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame."
      ],
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        [
          "melt",
          "melt"
        ],
        [
          "waste away",
          "waste away"
        ],
        [
          "flame",
          "flame"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "singe",
          "singe"
        ],
        [
          "scorch",
          "scorch"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dialectal terms",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To consume with fire; burn."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fire",
          "fire"
        ],
        [
          "burn",
          "burn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, dialectal) To consume with fire; burn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dialectal terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Baxter Dawes”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC, part II, page 377:",
          "text": "\"He thinks it's only a tumour!\" cried Annie to her mother. \"And he can sweal it away.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "disappear",
          "disappear"
        ],
        [
          "diminish",
          "diminish"
        ],
        [
          "reduce",
          "reduce"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, dialectal) To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/swiːl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sweal.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a8/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-sweal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-sweal.wav.mp3",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːl"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sweal"
}

Download raw JSONL data for sweal meaning in English (5.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-03-02 using wiktextract (169bf93 and 633533e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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