Chapter 1684

Swift (?) , a. [ Compar. Swifter (?) ; superl. Swiftest .] [AS. swift ; akin to sw\'bepan to sweep, swipu a whip; cf. sw\'c6fan to move quickly, to revolve. See Swoop , v. i. , and cf. Swivel , Squib .] 1. Moving a great distance in a short time; moving with celerity or velocity; fleet; rapid; quick; speedy; prompt.

My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James i. 19.

Swift of dispatch and easy of access. Dryden.

And bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

2. Of short continuance; passing away quickly.

Shak.

&hand; Swift is often used in the formation of compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, swift -darting, swift -footed, swift -winged, etc.

Syn. -- Quick; fleet; speedy; rapid; expeditious.

Swift <Xpage=1458>

Swift , adv. Swiftly. [Obs. or Poetic]

Shak.

Ply swift and strong the oar. Southey.

Swift <Xpage=1458>

Swift , n. 1. The current of a stream. [R.]

Walton.

2. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of small, long-winged, insectivorous birds of the family Micropodid\'91 . In form and habits the swifts resemble swallows, but they are destitute of complex vocal muscles and are not singing birds, but belong to a widely different group allied to the humming birds.

&hand; The common European swift ( Cypselus, &or; Micropus, apus ) nests in church steeples and under the tiles of roofs, and is noted for its rapid flight and shrill screams. It is called also black martin , black swift , hawk swallow , devil bird , swingdevil , screech martin , and shreik owl . The common American, or chimney, swift ( Ch\'91tura pelagica ) has sharp rigid tips to the tail feathers. It attaches its nest to the inner walls of chimneys, and is called also chimney swallow . The Australian swift ( Ch\'91tura caudacuta ) also has sharp naked tips to the tail quills. The European Alpine swift ( Cypselus melba ) is whitish beneath, with a white band across the breast. The common Indian swift is Cypselus affinis . See also Palm swift , under Palm , and Tree swift , under Tree .

3. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species of lizards, as the pine lizard.

4. (Zo\'94l.) The ghost moth. See under Ghost .

5. [Cf. Swivel .] A reel, or turning instrument, for winding yarn, thread, etc.; -- used chiefly in the plural.

6. The main card cylinder of a flax-carding machine.

<page="1459"> Page 1459

Swifter <Xpage=1459>

Swift"er (?) , n. [Cf. Swivel .] (Naut.) (a) A rope used to retain the bars of the capstan in their sockets while men are turning it. (b) A rope used to encircle a boat longitudinally, to strengthen and defend her sides. (c) The forward shroud of a lower mast.

Swifter <Xpage=1459>

Swift"er , v. t. (Naut.) To tighten, as slack standing rigging, by bringing the opposite shrouds nearer.

Swiftfoot <Xpage=1459>

Swift"foot` (?) , a. Nimble; fleet.

Mir. for Mag.

Swiftfoot <Xpage=1459>

Swift"foot` , n. (Zo\'94l.) The courser.

Swiftlet <Xpage=1459>

Swift"let (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of small East Indian and Asiatic swifts of the genus Collocalia . Some of the species are noted for furnishing the edible bird's nest. See Illust . under Edible .

Swiftly <Xpage=1459>

Swift"ly , adv. In a swift manner; with quick motion or velocity; fleetly.

Wyclif.

Swiftness <Xpage=1459>

Swift"ness , n. The quality or state of being swift; speed; quickness; celerity; velocity; rapidity; as, the swiftness of a bird; the swiftness of a stream; swiftness of descent in a falling body; swiftness of thought, etc.

Swig <Xpage=1459>

Swig (?) , v. t. [Cf. D. zwelgen to swallow, E. swallow , v.t.] 1. To drink in long draughts; to gulp; as, to swig cider . [Colloq.]

2. To suck. [Obs. or Archaic]

The lambkins swig the teat. Creech.

Swig <Xpage=1459>

Swig , n. 1. A long draught. [Colloq.]

Marryat.

2. (Naut.) A tackle with ropes which are not parallel.

3. A beverage consisting of warm beer flavored with spices, lemon, etc. [Prov. Eng.]

Swig <Xpage=1459>

Swig , v. t. [Cf. Prov. E. swig to leak out, AS. sw\'c6jian to be silent, sw\'c6can to evade, escape.] 1. To castrate, as a ram, by binding the testicles tightly with a string, so that they mortify and slough off. [Prov. Eng.]

2. (Naut.) To pull upon (a tackle) by throwing the weight of the body upon the fall between the block and a cleat.

Swill <Xpage=1459>

Swill (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Swilled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swilling .] [OE. swilen to wash, AS. swilian .] 1. To wash; to drench. [Obs.]

As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swilled with the wild and wasteful ocean. Shak.

2. [Properly, to drink like a pig. See Swill , n. ] To drink in great draughts; to swallow greedily.

Well-dressed people, of both sexes, . . . devouring sliced beef, and swilling pork, and punch, and cider. Smollett.

3. To inebriate; to fill with drink.

I should be loth To meet the rudeness and swilled insolence Of such late wassailers. Milton.

Swill <Xpage=1459>

Swill , v. i. To drink greedily or swinishly; to drink to excess.

South.

Swill <Xpage=1459>

Swill , n. 1. The wash, or mixture of liquid substances, given to swine; hogwash; -- called also swillings .

2. Large draughts of liquor; drink taken in excessive quantities.

Swiller <Xpage=1459>

Swill"er (?) , n. One who swills.

Swillings <Xpage=1459>

Swill"ings (?) , n. pl. See Swill , n. , 1.

Swim <Xpage=1459>

Swim (?) , v. i. [ imp. Swam (?) or Swum (<?/) ; p. p. Swum ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swimming .] [AS. swimman ; akin to D. zwemmen , OHG. swimman , G. schwimmen , Icel. svimma , Dan. sw\'94mme , Sw. simma . Cf. Sound an air bladder, a strait.] 1. To be supported by water or other fluid; not to sink; to float; as, any substance will swim , whose specific gravity is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed .

2. To move progressively in water by means of strokes with the hands and feet, or the fins or the tail.

Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point. Shak.

3. To be overflowed or drenched.

Ps. vi. 6.

Sudden the ditches swell, the meadows swim . Thomson.

4. Fig.: To be as if borne or floating in a fluid.

[They] now swim in joy. Milton.

5. To be filled with swimming animals. [Obs.]

[Streams] that swim full of small fishes. Chaucer.

Swim <Xpage=1459>

Swim , v. t. 1. To pass or move over or on by swimming; as, to swim a stream .

Sometimes he thought to swim the stormy main. Dryden.

2. To cause or compel to swim; to make to float; as, to swim a horse across a river .

3. To immerse in water that the lighter parts may float; as, to swim wheat in order to select seed .

Swim <Xpage=1459>

Swim , n. 1. The act of swimming; a gliding motion, like that of one swimming.

B. Jonson.

2. The sound, or air bladder, of a fish.

3. A part of a stream much frequented by fish. [Eng.]

Swim bladder , an air bladder of a fish. -- To be in the swim , to be in a favored position; to be associated with others in active affairs. [Colloq.]

Swim <Xpage=1459>

Swim , v. i. [OE. swime dizziness, vertigo, AS. sw\'c6ma ; akin to D. zwijm , Icel. svimi dizziness, svina to subside, sv\'c6a to abate, G. schwindel dizziness, schwinden to disappear, to dwindle, OHG. sw\'c6nan to dwindle. Cf. Squemish , Swindler .] To be dizzy; to have an unsteady or reeling sensation; as, the head swims .

Swimbel <Xpage=1459>

Swim"bel (?) , n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A moaning or sighing sound or noise; a sough. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Swimmer <Xpage=1459>

Swim"mer (?) , n. 1. One who swims.

2. (Far.) A protuberance on the leg of a horse.

3. (Zo\'94l.) A swimming bird; one of the natatores.

Little swimmer (Zo\'94l.) , a phalarope.

Swimmeret <Xpage=1459>

Swim"mer*et (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) One of a series of flat, fringed, and usually bilobed, appendages, of which several pairs occur on the abdominal somites of many crustaceans. They are used as fins in swimming.

Swimming <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming (?) , a. 1. That swims; capable of swimming; adapted to, or used in, swimming; as, a swimming bird; a swimming motion .

2. Suffused with moisture; as, swimming eyes .

Swimming bell (Zo\'94l.) , a nectocalyx. See Illust . under Siphonophora . -- Swimming crab (Zo\'94l.) , any one of numerous species of marine crabs, as those of the family Protunid\'91 , which have some of the joints of one or more pairs of legs flattened so as to serve as fins.

Swimming <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming , n. The act of one who swims.

Swimming <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming , a. [From Swim to be dizzy.] Being in a state of vertigo or dizziness; as, a swimming brain .

Swimming <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming , n. Vertigo; dizziness; as, a swimming in the head .

Dryden.

Swimmingly <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming*ly , adv. In an easy, gliding manner, as if swimming; smoothly; successfully; prosperously.

Swimmingness <Xpage=1459>

Swim"ming*ness , n. Act or state of swimming; suffusion. "A swimmingness in the eye."

Congreve.

Swinck <Xpage=1459>

Swinck (?) , v. & n. See Swink . <mark[Obs.]

Swindle <Xpage=1459>

Swin"dle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Swindled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swindling (?) .] [See Swindler .] To cheat defraud grossly, or with deliberate artifice; as, to swindle a man out of his property .

Lammote . . . has swindled one of them out of three hundred livres. Carlyle.

Swindle <Xpage=1459>

Swin"dle , n. The act or process of swindling; a cheat.

Swindler <Xpage=1459>

Swin"dler (?) , n. [G. schwindler , fr. schwindlen to be dizzy, to act thoughtlessly, to cheat, fr. schwindel dizziness, fr. schwinden to vanish, to disappear, to dwindle. See Swim to be dizzy.] One who swindles, or defrauds grossly; one who makes a practice of defrauding others by imposition or deliberate artifice; a cheat.

Syn. -- Sharper; rogue. -- Swindler , Sharper . These words agree in describing persons who take unfair advantages. A swindler is one who obtains money or goods under false pretenses. A sharper is one who cheats by sharp practice, as in playing at cards or staking what he can not pay.

Fraud and injustice soon follow, and the dignity of the British merchant is sunk in the scandalous appellation of a swindler . V. Knox.

Perhaps you 'll think I act the same As a sly sharper plays his game. Cotton.

Swindlery <Xpage=1459>

Swin"dler*y (?) , n. Swindling; rougery. [R.] " Swindlery and blackguardism."

Carlyle.

Swine <Xpage=1459>

Swine (?) , n.sing. & pl. [OE. swin , AS. sw\'c6n ; akin to OFries. & OS. swin , D. zwijn , G. schwein , OHG. sw\'c6n , Icel. sv\'c6n , Sw. svin , Dan. sviin , Goth. swein ; originally a diminutive corresponding to E. sow . See Sow , n. ] (Zo\'94l.) Any animal of the hog kind, especially one of the domestical species. Swine secrete a large amount of subcutaneous fat, which, when extracted, is known as lard . The male is specifically called boar , the female, sow , and the young, pig . See Hog . "A great herd of swine ."

Mark v. 11.

Swine grass (Bot.) , knotgrass ( Polygonum aviculare ); -- so called because eaten by swine. -- Swine oat (Bot.) , a kind of oat sometimes grown for swine. -- Swine's cress (Bot.) , a species of cress of the genus Senebiera ( S. Coronopus ). -- Swine's head , a dolt; a blockhead. [Obs.] Chaucer . -- Swine thistle (Bot.) , the sow thistle.

Swinebread <Xpage=1459>

Swine"bread` (?) , n. (Bot.) The truffle.

Swinecase <Xpage=1459>

Swine"case` (?) , n. A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

Swinecote <Xpage=1459>

Swine"cote` (?) , n. A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

Swinecrue <Xpage=1459>

Swine"crue` (?) , n. [ Swine + Prov. E. crue a coop.] A hogsty. [Prov. Eng.]

Swinefish <Xpage=1459>

Swine"fish` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The wolf fish.

Swineherd <Xpage=1459>

Swine"herd` (?) , n. A keeper of swine.

Swinepipe <Xpage=1459>

Swine"pipe` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The European redwing. [Prov. Eng.]

Swine-pox <Xpage=1459>

Swine"-pox` (?) , n. (Med.) A variety of the chicken pox, with acuminated vesicles containing a watery fluid; the water pox.

Pepys.

Swineery <Xpage=1459>

Swine"er*y (?) , n. Same as Piggery . [R.]

Swinestone <Xpage=1459>

Swine"stone` (?) , n. (Min.) See Stinkstone .

Swinesty <Xpage=1459>

Swine"sty` (?) , n. A sty, or pen, for swine.

Swing <Xpage=1459>

Swing (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Swung (?) ; Archaic imp. Swang (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swinging .] [OE. swingen , AS. swingan to scourge, to fly, to flutter; akin to G. schwingen to winnow, to swingle, oscillate, sich schwingen to leap, to soar, OHG. swingan to throw, to scourge, to soar, Sw. svinga to swing, to whirl, Dan. svinge . Cf. Swagger , Sway , Swinge , Swink .] 1. To move to and fro, as a body suspended in the air; to wave; to vibrate; to oscillate.

I tried if a pendulum would swing faster, or continue swinging longer, in case of exsuction of the air. Boyle.

2. To sway or move from one side or direction to another; as, the door swung open .

3. To use a swing; as, a boy swings for exercise or pleasure . See Swing , n. , 3.

4. (Naut.) To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor; as, a ship swings with the tide .

5. To be hanged. [Colloq.]

D. Webster.

To swing round the circle , to make a complete circuit. [Colloq.]

He had swung round the circle of theories and systems in which his age abounded, without finding relief. A. V. G. Allen.

Swing <Xpage=1459>

Swing , v. t. 1. To cause to swing or vibrate; to cause to move backward and forward, or from one side to the other.

He swings his tail, and swiftly turns his round. Dryden.

They get on ropes, as you must have seen the children, and are swung by their men visitants. Spectator.

2. To give a circular movement to; to whirl; to brandish; as, to swing a sword; to swing a club ; hence, colloquially, to manage; as, to swing a business . <-- or, to accomplish -->

3. (Mach.) To admit or turn (anything) for the purpose of shaping it; -- said of a lathe; as, the lathe can swing a pulley of 12 inches diameter .

To swing a door , gate , etc. (Carp.) , to put it on hinges so that it can swing or turn.

Swing <Xpage=1459>

Swing (?) , n. 1. The act of swinging; a waving, oscillating, or vibratory motion of a hanging or pivoted object; oscillation; as, the swing of a pendulum .

2. Swaying motion from one side or direction to the other; as, some men walk with a swing .

3. A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing; especially, an apparatus for recreation by swinging, commonly consisting of a rope, the two ends of which are attached overhead, as to the bough of a tree, a seat being placed in the loop at the bottom; also, any contrivance by which a similar motion is produced for amusement or exercise.

4. Influence of power of a body put in swaying motion.

The ram that batters down the wall, For the great swing and rudeness of his poise, They place before his hand that made the engine. Shak.

5. Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.

6. Free course; unrestrained liberty or license; tendency. "Take thy swing ."

Dryden.

To prevent anything which may prove an obstacle to the full swing of his genius. Burke.

Full swing . See under Full . -- Swing beam (Railway Mach.) , a crosspiece sustaining the car body, and so suspended from the framing of a truck that it may have an independent lateral motion. -- Swing bridge , a form of drawbridge which swings horizontally, as on a vertical pivot. -- Swing plow , &or; Swing plough . (a) A plow without a fore wheel under the beam. (b) A reversible or sidehill plow. -- Swing wheel . (a) The scape-wheel in a clock, which drives the pendulum. (b) The balance of a watch.

Swingdevil <Xpage=1459>

Swing"dev`il (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) [So named from its swift flight and dark color, which give it an uncanny appearance.] The European swift. [Prov. Eng.]

Swinge <Xpage=1459>

Swinge (sw&icr;nj) , v. & n. See Singe . [Obs.]

Spenser.

Swinge <Xpage=1459>

Swinge , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Swinged (sw&icr;njd) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Swingeing (sw&icr;nj"&icr;ng) .] [OE. swengen , AS. swengan to shake, causative of swingan . See Swing .] 1. To beat soundly; to whip; to chastise; to punish.

I had swinged him soundly. Shak.