Chapter 126

Nature itself, after it has done an injury, will ever be suspicious; and no man can love the person he suspects.

South.

Many mischievous insects are daily at work to make men of merit suspicious of each other.

Pope.

2. Indicating suspicion, mistrust, or fear.

We have a suspicious, fearful, constrained countenance.

Swift.

3. Liable to suspicion; adapted to raise suspicion; giving reason to imagine ill; questionable; as, an author of suspicious innovations; suspicious circumstances.

I spy a black, suspicious, threatening could.

Shak.

Syn. -- Jealous; distrustful; mistrustful; doubtful; questionable. See Jealous.

-- Sus*pi"cious*ly, adv. -- Sus*pi"cious*ness, n.

Sus*pir"al (?), n. [From Suspire.] 1. A breathing hole; a vent or ventiduct.

2. A spring of water passing under ground toward a cistern or conduit.

Sus`pi*ra"tion (?), n. [L. suspiratio. See Suspire.] The act of sighing, or fetching a long and deep breath; a deep respiration; a sigh.

Windy suspiration of forced breath.

Shak.

Sus*pire" (?), v. i. [L. suspirare to breathe out, to sigh; sub under + spirare to breathe: cf. F. souspirer, OF. souspirer.] To fetch a long, deep breath; to sigh; to breathe. Shak.

Fireflies that suspire In short, soft lapses of transported flame.

Mrs. Browning.

Sus*pire", n. [Cf. L. suspirium.] A long, deep breath; a sigh. [Obs.]

Sus*pired" (?), a. Ardently desired or longed for; earnestly coveted. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.

Sus*tain" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sustained (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sustaining.] [OE. sustenen, susteinen, OF. sustenir, sostenir, F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere; pref. sus- (see Sub-) + tenere to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Sustenance.] 1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.

Every pillar the temple to sustain.

Chaucer.

2. Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.

No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world.

Tillotson.

3. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.

4. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate. Shak.

His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain.

Dryden.

5. To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.

6. To suffer; to bear; to undergo.

Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain?

Dryden.

You shall sustain more new disgraces.

Shak.

7. To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit.

8. To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition.

Syn. -- To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.

Sus*tain" (?), n. One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer. [Obs.]

I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord.

Milton.

Sus*tain"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. soutenable, OF. soustenable.] Capable of being sustained or maintained; as, the action is not sustainable.

Sus*tained" (?), a. Held up to a certain pitch, degree, or level; uniform; as, sustained pasion; a sustained style of writing; a sustained note in music.

Sus*tain"er (?), n. One who, or that which, sustains. Waterland.

Sus*tain"ment (?), n. The act of sustaining; maintenance; support. Milton. Lowell.

Sus*tal"tic (?), a. [Gr. &?; contractile, fr. &?; to draw together, to moderate; &?; together + &?; to place.] Mournful; -- said of a species of music among the ancient Greeks. Busby.

Sus"te*nance (?), n. [OF. sustenance, sostenance, soustenance: cf. L. sustenentia endurance. See Sustain.] 1. The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence; as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life.

2. That which supports life; food; victuals; provisions; means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance. "A man of little sustenance." Chaucer.

For lying is thy sustenance, thy food.

Milton.

Sus*ten"ta*cle (?), n. [L. sustentaculum. See Sustentation.] Sustenance. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Sus`ten*tac"u*lar (?), a. [See Sustenance.] (Anat.) Supporting; sustaining; as, a sustentacular tissue.

Sus"ten*tate (?), v. t. To sustain. [R.] C. Reade.

Sus`ten*ta"tion (?), n. [L. sustentatio sustenance, maintenance, fr. sustentare to support, maintain, v. intens. fr. sustinere to sustain: cf. F. sustentation. See Sustain.] 1. The act of sustaining, or the state of being sustained; preservation from falling; support; sustenance; maintenance.

2. (Physiol.) The aggregate of the functions by which a living organism is maintained in a normal condition of weight and growth.

Sustentation fund (Eccl.), a fund of a religious body for support of its ministers, chapels, etc.; as, the sustentation fund of the Free Church of Scotland.

Sus"ten*ta*tive (?), a. Adapted to sustain, strengthen, or corroborate; as, sustentative citations or quotations.

Sustentative functions (Physiol.), those functions of the body which affect its material composition and thus determine its mass.

Sus*ten"tion (?), n. Sustentation. [R. or Colloq.]

In fine images, in sustention, in irony, they surpass anything that Burke ever wrote.

J. Morley.

{ Sus"ter, Sus"tre (?) }, n.; pl. Susters (&?;), Sustres, or Sustren (&?;). Sister. [Obs.] Chaucer.

There are seven sustren, that serve truth ever.

Piers Plowman.

Su"su (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Soosoo.

Su*sur"rant (?), a. [L. susurrans, p. pr. from susurrare to whisper.] Whispering. [R.] "The soft susurrant sigh." Poetry of Anti-Jacobin.

Su`sur*ra"tion (?), n. [L. susurratio, fr. susurrare to whisper: cf. F. susurration.] A whispering; a soft murmur. "Soft susurrations of the trees." Howell.

Su*sur"ring*ly (?), adv. In the manner of a whisper. [Obs.]

Su*sur"rous (?), a. [L. susurrus.] Whispering; rustling; full of whispering sounds. [R.]

||Su*sur"rus (?), n. [L.] The act of whispering; a whisper; a murmur. ||De Quincey.

The soft susurrus and sighs of the branches.

Longfellow.

Su"tile (?), a. [L. sutilis, fr. suere to sew: cf. F. sutile.] Done by stitching. [R.] Boswell.

Sut"ler (?), n. [D. zoetelaar, OD. soetelaar, a small trader, especially in camps, fr. soetelen to undertake low offices; cf. G. sudeln to do dirty work, to sully, soil, E. suds.] A person who follows an army, and sells to the troops provisions, liquors, and the like.

Sut"ler*ship, n. The condition or occupation of a sutler.

Sut"ling (?), a. Belonging to sutlers; engaged in the occupation of a sutler. Addison.

Su"tor (?), n. A kind of sirup made by the Indians of Arizona from the fruit of some cactaceous plant (probably the Cereus giganteus).

||Su"tra (?), n.; pl. Sutras (#). [Skr. s&?;tra a thread, a string of ||rules; an aphorism; fr. siv to sew.] 1. (a) A precept; an aphorism; a ||brief rule. (b) A collection of such aphorisms.

2. pl. A body of Hindoo literature containing aphorisms on grammar, meter, law, and philosophy, and forming a connecting link between the Vedic and later Sanscrit literature. Balfour (Cyc. of India).

Sut*tee" (?), n. [Skr. sat a faithful wife, fem. of sant existing, real, true, good, p. pr. of as to be. Cf. Sooth.] 1. A Hindoo widow who immolates herself, or is immolated, on the funeral pile of her husband; -- so called because this act of self-immolation is regarded as envincing excellence of wifely character. [India]

2. The act of burning a widow on the funeral pile of her husband. [India]

The practice, though abolished in British India law in 1829, is not wholly prevented.

Sut*tee"ism (?), n. The practice of self-immolation of widows in Hindostan.

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Sut"tle (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Com.) The weight when the tare has been deducted, and tret is yet to be allowed. M&?;Culloch.

Sut"tle, v. i. [See Sutler.] To act as sutler; to supply provisions and other articles to troops.

Su"tur*al (?), a. [Cf. F. sutural, NL. suturals.] 1. Of or pertaining to a suture, or seam.

2. (Bot.) Taking place at a suture; as, a sutural de&?;iscence.

Su"tur*al*ly, adv. In a sutural manner.

Su"tur*a`ted (?), a. Sewed or knit together; united by a suture; stitched.

Su"ture (?), n. [L. sutura, fr. suere, sutum, to sew or stitch: cf. F. suture. See Sew to unite with thread.] 1. The act of sewing; also, the line along which two things or parts are sewed together, or are united so as to form a seam, or that which resembles a seam.

2. (Surg.) (a) The uniting of the parts of a wound by stitching. (b) The stitch by which the parts are united.

3. (Anat.) The line of union, or seam, in an immovable articulation, like those between the bones of the skull; also, such an articulation itself; synarthrosis. See Harmonic suture, under Harmonic.

4. (Bot.) (a) The line, or seam, formed by the union of two margins in any part of a plant; as, the ventral suture of a legume. (b) A line resembling a seam; as, the dorsal suture of a legume, which really corresponds to a midrib.

5. (Zoöl.) (a) The line at which the elytra of a beetle meet and are sometimes confluent. (b) A seam, or impressed line, as between the segments of a crustacean, or between the whorls of a univalve shell.

Glover's suture, Harmonic suture, etc. See under Glover, Harmonic, etc.

Su"tured (?), a. Having a suture or sutures; knit or united together. Pennant.

Su*war"row (?), n. (Bot.) The giant cactus (Cereus giganteus); -- so named by the Indians of Arizona. Called also saguaro.

Su"ze*rain (?), n. [F., formed fr. sus above, L. susum, sursum (fr. sub under + versum, p. p. of vertere to turn), after the analogy of souverain, E. sovereign. See Sub-, and Verse.] A superior lord, to whom fealty is due; a feudal lord; a lord paramount.

Su"ze*rain*ty (?), n. [F. suzeraineté.] The dominion or authority of a suzerain; paramount authority.

Swa (swä), adv. [See So.] So. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Swab (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swabbed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swabbing.] [See Swabber, n.] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also swob.]

Swab, n. [Written also swob.] 1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.

2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.

3. (Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang] Marryat.

4. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.] Bailey.

5. A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.

Swab"ber (?), v. t. To swab. [R.]

Swab"ber, n. [D. zwabber; cf.D. zwabberen to swab, G. schwabbern, Dan. svabre, Sw. svab a swab, svabla to swab.] 1. One who swabs a floor or desk. Shak.

2. (Naut.) Formerly, an interior officer on board of British ships of war, whose business it was to see that the ship was kept clean.

3. Same as Swobber, 2.

Swad (?), n. [Probably fr. AS. swe&?;ian to bind.] [Written also swod.] 1. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Prov. Eng.]

Swad, in the north, is a peascod shell -- thence used for an empty, shallow-headed fellow.

Blount.

2. A clown; a country bumpkin. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] "Country swains, and silly swads." Greene.

There was one busy fellow was their leader, A blunt, squat swad, but lower than yourself.

B. Jonson.

3. A lump of mass; also, a crowd. [Low, U.S.]

4. (Coal Mining) A thin layer of refuse at the bottom of a seam. Raymond.

Swad"dle (?), n. [AS. swe&?;il, swe&?;el, fr. swe&?;ain to bind. See Swathe.] Anything used to swaddle with, as a cloth or band; a swaddling band.

They put me in bed in all my swaddles.

Addison.

Swad"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swaddled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swaddling (?).] 1. To bind as with a bandage; to bind or warp tightly with clothes; to swathe; -- used esp. of infants; as, to swaddle a baby.

They swaddled me up in my nightgown with long pieces of linen.

Addison.

2. To beat; to cudgel. [Obs.] Hudibras.

Swad"dle*bill` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The shoveler. [Local, U.S.]

Swad"dler (?), n. A term of contempt for an Irish Methodist. Shipley.

Swad"dling (?), a. & n. from Swaddle, v.

Swaddling band, Swaddling cloth, or Swaddling clout, a band or cloth wrapped round an infant, especially round a newborn infant.

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Luke ii. 12.

Swag (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swagging (?).] [Cf. Icel. sveggja, sveigja to bend, to sway, Norw. svaga to sway. See Sway.] 1. To hang or move, as something loose and heavy; to sway; to swing. [Prov. Eng.]

2. To sink down by its weight; to sag. Sir H. Wotton.

I swag as a fat person's belly swaggeth as he goeth.

Palsgrave.

Swag, n. 1. A swaying, irregular motion.

2. A burglar's or thief's booty; boodle. [Cant or Slang] Charles Reade.

Swag"-bel`lied (?), a. Having a prominent, overhanging belly. Shak.

Swag"bel`ly (?), n. 1. A prominent, overhanging belly. Smollett.

2. (Med.) Any large tumor developed in the abdomen, and neither fluctuating nor sonorous. Dunglison.

Swage (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Swaged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swaging (?).] [Equiv. to suage, abbrev. fr. assuage.] See Assuage. [Obs.]

Swage, n. A tool, variously shaped or grooved on the end or face, used by blacksmiths and other workers in metals, for shaping their work, whether sheet metal or forging, by holding the swage upon the work, or the work upon the swage, and striking with a sledge.

Swage block, a perforated block of iron, having grooved sides and adapted for use in heading bolts and swaging objects of large size.

Swage, v. t. To shape by means of a swage; to fashion, as a piece of iron, by forcing it into a groove or mold having the required shape.

Swag"ger (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swaggered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swaggering.] [Freq. of swag.] 1. To walk with a swaying motion; hence, to walk and act in a pompous, consequential manner.

A man who swaggers about London clubs.

Beaconsfield.

2. To boast or brag noisily; to be ostentatiously proud or vainglorious; to bluster; to bully.

What a pleasant it is . . . to swagger at the bar!

Arbuthnot.

To be great is not . . . to swagger at our footmen.

Colier.

Swag"ger, v. t. To bully. [R.] Swift.

Swag"ger, n. The act or manner of a swaggerer.

He gave a half swagger, half leer, as he stepped forth to receive us.

W. Irving.

Swag"ger*er (?), n. One who swaggers; a blusterer; a bully; a boastful, noisy fellow. Shak.

Swag"gy (?), a. Inclined to swag; sinking, hanging, or leaning by its weight. Sir T. Browne.

Swain (?), n. [OE. swain, swein, Icel. sveinn a boy, servant; akin to Sw. sven, Dan. svend, AS. swn, OHG. swein.] 1. A servant. [Obs.]

Him behoves serve himself that has no swain.

Chaucer.

2. A young man dwelling in the country; a rustic; esp., a cuntry gallant or lover; -- chiefly in poetry.

It were a happy life To be no better than a homely swain.

Shak.

Blest swains! whose nymphs in every grace excel.

Pope.

Swain"ish, a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a swain; rustic; ignorant. "An ungentle and swainish beast." Milton. -- Swain"ish*ness, n. Emerson.

Swain"ling (?), n. A little swain. [R.]

Swain"mote` (?), n. [Swain + mote meeting: cf. LL. swanimotum.] (Eng. Forest Law) A court held before the verders of the forest as judges, by the steward of the court, thrice every year, the swains, or freeholders, within the forest composing the jury. [Written also swanimote, and sweinmote.] Blackstone.

Swain"ship, n. The condition of a swain.

Swaip (?), v. i. [Cf. Sweep.] To walk proudly; to sweep along. [Prov. Eng.] Todd.

Swal (?), obs. imp. of Swell. Swelled. Chaucer.

Swale (?), n. [Cf. Icel. svalr cool, svala to cool.] A valley or low place; a tract of low, and usually wet, land; a moor; a fen. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]

Swale, v. i. & t. To melt and waste away; to singe. See Sweal, v.

Swale, n. A gutter in a candle. [Prov. Eng.]

Swal"let (?), n. [Cf. G. schwall a sea swell, from schwellen to swell, E. swell.] Water breaking in upon the miners at their work; -- so called among tin miners. [Prov. Eng.]

Swal"low (?), n. [OE. swalowe, AS. swalewe, swealwe; akin to D. zwaluw, OHG. swalawa, G. schwalbe, Icel. & Sw. svala, Dan. svale.] 1. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of passerine birds of the family Hirundinidæ, especially one of those species in which the tail is deeply forked. They have long, pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and gracefulness of their flight.

The most common North American species are the barn swallow (see under Barn), the cliff, or eaves, swallow (see under Cliff), the white-bellied, or tree, swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), and the bank swallow (see under Bank). The common European swallow (Chelidon rustica), and the window swallow, or martin (Chelidon urbica), are familiar species.

2. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of swifts which resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the common American chimney swallow, or swift.

3. (Naut.) The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Swallow plover (Zoöl.), any one of several species of fork-tailed ploverlike birds of the genus Glareola, as G. orientalis of India; a pratincole. -- Swallow shrike (Zoöl.), any one of several species of East Indian and Asiatic birds of the family Artamiidæ, allied to the shrikes but similar to swallows in appearance and habits. The ashy swallow shrike (Artamus fuscus) is common in India. -- Swallow warbler (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of East Indian and Australian singing birds of the genus Dicæum. They are allied to the honeysuckers.

Swal"low (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swallowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swallowing.] [OE. swolewen, swolwen, swolhen, AS. swelgan; akin to D. zwelgen, OHG. swelahan, swelgan, G. schwelgen to feast, to revel, Icel. svelgia to swallow, SW. svälja, Dan. svælge. Cf. Groundsel a plant.] 1. To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet, or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or drink.

As if I had swallowed snowballs for pills.

Shak.

2. To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb -- usually followed by up. Milton.

The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses.

Num. xvi. 32.

3. To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without examination or scruple; to receive implicitly.

Though that story . . . be not so readily swallowed.

Sir T. Browne.

4. To engross; to appropriate; -- usually with up.

Homer excels . . . in this, that he swallowed up the honor of those who succeeded him.

Pope.

5. To occupy; to take up; to employ.

The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.

Locke.

6. To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume.

Corruption swallowed what the liberal hand Of bounty scattered.

Thomson.

7. To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions. "Swallowed his vows whole." Shak.

8. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation; as, to swallow an affront or insult.

Syn. -- To absorb; imbibe; ingulf; engross; consume. See Absorb.

Swal"low, v. i. To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe he is unable to swallow.

Swal"low, n. 1. The act of swallowing.

2. The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.

3. Taste; relish; inclination; liking. [Colloq.]

I have no swallow for it.

Massinger.

4. Capacity for swallowing; voracity.

There being nothing too gross for the swallow of political rancor.

Prof. Wilson.

5. As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow of water.

6. That which ingulfs; a whirlpool. [Obs.] Fabyan.

Swal"low*er (?), n. One who swallows; also, a glutton. Tatler.

Swal"low*fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The European sapphirine gurnard (Trigla hirundo). It has large pectoral fins.

Swal"low*tail` (?), n. 1. (Carp.) A kind of tenon or tongue used in making joints. See Dovetail.

2. (Bot.) A species of willow.

3. (Fort.) An outwork with converging sides, its head or front forming a reëntrant angle; -- so called from its form. Called also priestcap.

4. A swallow-tailed coat.

This Stultz coat, a blue swallowtail, with yellow buttons.

Thackeray.

5. An arrow. Sir W. Scott.

6. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of large and handsome butterflies, belonging to Papilio and allied genera, in which the posterior border of each hind wing is prolongated in the form of a long lobe.

The black swallowtail, or asterias (see Papilio), the blue swallowtail, or philenor, the tiger swallowtail, or turnus (see Turnus), and the zebra swallowtail, or ajax (see under Zebra) are common American species. See also Troilus.

Swal"low-tailed` (?), a. 1. Having a tail like that of a swallow; hence, like a swallow's tail in form; having narrow and tapering or pointed skirts; as, a swallow-tailed coat.

2. (Carp.) United by dovetailing; dovetailed.

Swallow-tailed duck (Zoöl.), the old squaw. -- Swallow-tailed gull (Zoöl.), an Arctic gull (Xema furcata), which has a deeply forked tail. -- Swallow-tailed hawk or kite (Zoöl.), the fork- tailed kite. -- Swallow-tailed moth (Zoöl.), a European moth (Urapteryx sambucaria) having tail-like lobes on the hind wings.

Swal"low*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) See Celandine. (b) A poisonous plant (Vincetoxicum officinale) of the Milkweed family, at one time used in medicine; -- also called white swallowwort.

African swallowwort, a plant of the genus Stapelia.

Swam (?), imp. of Swim.

Swamp (?), n. [Cf. AS. swam a fungus, OD. swam a sponge, D. zwam a fungus, G. schwamm a sponge, Icel. svöppr, Dan. & Sw. swamp, Goth. swamms, Gr. somfo`s porous, spongy.] Wet, spongy land; soft, low ground saturated with water, but not usually covered with it; marshy ground away from the seashore.

Gray swamps and pools, waste places of the hern.

Tennyson.

A swamp differs from a bog and a marsh in producing trees and shrubs, while the latter produce only herbage, plants, and mosses.

Farming Encyc. (E. Edwards, Words).

Swamp blackbird. (Zoöl.) See Redwing (b). -- Swamp cabbage (Bot.), skunk cabbage. -- Swamp deer (Zoöl.), an Asiatic deer (Rucervus Duvaucelli) of India. -- Swamp hen. (Zoöl.) (a) An Australian azure-breasted bird (Porphyrio bellus); -- called also goollema. (b) An Australian water crake, or rail (Porzana Tabuensis); -- called also little swamp hen. (c) The European purple gallinule. -- Swamp honeysuckle (Bot.), an American shrub (Azalea, or Rhododendron, viscosa) growing in swampy places, with fragrant flowers of a white color, or white tinged with rose; -- called also swamp pink. -- Swamp hook, a hook and chain used by lumbermen in handling logs. Cf. Cant hook. -- Swamp itch. (Med.) See Prairie itch, under Prairie. -- Swamp laurel (Bot.), a shrub (Kalmia glauca) having small leaves with the lower surface glaucous. -- Swamp maple (Bot.), red maple. See Maple. -- Swamp oak (Bot.), a name given to several kinds of oak which grow in swampy places, as swamp Spanish oak (Quercus palustris), swamp white oak (Q. bicolor), swamp post oak (Q. lyrata). -- Swamp ore (Min.), bog ore; limonite. -- Swamp partridge (Zoöl.), any one of several Australian game birds of the genera Synoicus and Excalfatoria, allied to the European partridges. -- Swamp robin (Zoöl.), the chewink. -- Swamp sassafras (Bot.), a small North American tree of the genus Magnolia (M. glauca) with aromatic leaves and fragrant creamy-white blossoms; -- called also sweet bay. -- Swamp sparrow (Zoöl.), a common North American sparrow (Melospiza Georgiana, or M. palustris), closely resembling the song sparrow. It lives in low, swampy places. -- Swamp willow. (Bot.) See Pussy willow, under Pussy.

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Swamp (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swamped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Swamping.] 1. To plunge or sink into a swamp.