swallow

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To make food or drink pass from your mouth down into your stomach.

   My throat hurt so much that it was hard to swallow even water.

2. 2
   noun

   An act of swallowing, or the amount you swallow at one time.

   He finished the drink in one swallow.

3. 3
   verb

   To believe something too easily, especially something untrue.

   Am I supposed to swallow that story?

4. 4
   verb

   To hold back a feeling and not show it.

   I swallowed my anger and kept quiet.

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”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), 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 Pro…

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