SWALLOW

Swallow

The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Swallow is used colloquially in Europe as a synonym for the Barn Swallow.

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swallow

Noun

  1. A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
  2. The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
    He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.

Noun (etymology 2)

  1. A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.

Verb

  1. To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
  2. To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
  3. To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
    My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
  4. To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
  5. To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
  6. To retract; to recant.
    to swallow one's opinions
  7. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
    to swallow an affront or insult


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: swallow
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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