swallow1
v.
- cause or allow (food, drink, etc.) to pass down the throat.
▸make a similar movement of the throat, especially through fear or nervousness.
- take in and cause to disappear; engulf.
- put up with or meekly accept.
▸resist expressing:
he swallowed his pride.
- believe (an untrue or unlikely statement) unquestioningly.
n.
an act of swallowing something.
Derivative
- swallowable adj.
- swallower n.
Etymology
OE swelgan, of Gmc origin.
swallow2
n.
a migratory swift-flying insectivorous songbird with a forked tail.
[
Hirundo rustica and other species, family Hirundinidae.]
Etymology
OE swealwe, of Gmc origin.