| sweetmeat | 1. Fruit preserved with sugar, as peaches, pears, melons, nuts, orange peel, etc.; usually in the plural; a confect; a confection. 2. The paint used in making patent leather. 3. <zoology> A boat shell (Crepidula fornicata) of the American coast. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| sweetroot | <botany> Licorice. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sweetwater | <botany> A variety of white grape, having a sweet watery juice; also called white sweetwater, and white muscadine. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sweetweed | <botany> A name for two tropical American weeds (Capraria biflora, and Scoparia dulcis) of the Figwort family. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sweetwood | <botany> The true laurel (Laurus nobilis) The timber of the tree Oreodaphne Leucoxylon, growing in Jamaica. The name is also applied to the timber of several other related trees. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sweetwort | Any plant of a sweet taste. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swell | 1. The act of swelling. 2. Gradual increase. Specifically: Increase or augmentation in bulk; protuberance. Increase in height; elevation; rise. "Little River affords navigation during a swell to within three miles of the Miami." (Jefferson) Increase of force, intensity, or volume of sound. "Music arose with its voluptuous swell." (Byron) Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force. "The swell and subsidence of his periods." (Landor) 3. A gradual ascent, or rounded elevation, of land; as, an extensive plain abounding with little swells. 4. A wave, or billow; especially, a succession of large waves; the roll of the sea after a storm; as, a heavy swell sets into the harbor. "The swell Of the long waves that roll in yonder bay." (Tennyson) "The gigantic swells and billows of the snow." (Hawthorne) 5. A gradual increase and decrease of the volume of sound; the crescendo and diminuendo combined; generally indicated by the sign. 6. A showy, dashing person; a dandy. Ground swell. See Ground. Organ swell, a small shark (Scyllium ventricosum) of the west coast of North America, which takes in air when caught, and swells up like a swellfish. 1. To increase the size, bulk, or dimensions of; to cause to rise, dilate, or increase; as, rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring; immigration swells the population. "[The Church] swells her high, heart-cheering tone." (Keble) 2. To aggravate; to heighten. "It is low ebb with his accuser when such peccadilloes are put to swell the charge." (Atterbury) 3. To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate; as, to be swelled with pride or haughtiness. 4. To augment gradually in force or loudness, as the sound of a note. 1. To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface or dimensions, by matter added within, or by expansion of the inclosed substance; as, the legs swell in dropsy; a bruised part swells; a bladder swells by inflation. 2. To increase in size or extent by any addition; to increase in volume or force; as, a river swells, and overflows its banks; sounds swell or diminish. 3. To rise or be driven into waves or billows; to heave; as, in tempest, the ocean swells into waves. 4. To be puffed up or bloated; as, to swell with pride. "You swell at the tartan, as the bull is said to do at scarlet." (Sir W. Scott) 5. To be inflated; to belly; as, the sails swell. 6. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant; as, swelling words; a swelling style. 7. To protuberate; to bulge out; as, a cask swells in the middle. 8. To be elated; to rise arrogantly. "Your equal mind yet swells not into state." (Dryden) 9. To grow upon the view; to become larger; to expand. "Monarchs to behold the swelling scene!" 10. To become larger in amount; as, many little debts added, swell to a great amount. 11. To act in a pompous, ostentatious, or arrogant manner; to strut; to look big. "Here he comes, swelling like a turkey cock." (Shak) Origin: AS. Swellan; akin to D. Zwellen, OS. & OHG. Swellan, G. Schwellen, Icel. Svella, Sw. Svalla. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swellfish | <zoology> Any plectognath fish that dilates itself, as the bur fish, puffer, or diodon. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swellhead | Synonym: lecheguilla poisoning. 2. In turkeys, distention of the sinuses due to accumulation of exudate in infectious sinusitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| swelling | 1. The act of that which swells; as, the swelling of rivers in spring; the swelling of the breast with pride. "Rise to the swelling of the voiceless sea." (Coleridge) 2. <medicine> A protuberance; a prominence; especially, an unnatural prominence or protuberance; as, a scrofulous swelling. "The superficies of such plates are not even, but have many cavities and swellings." (Sir I. Newton) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swelltoad | <zoology> A swellfish. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swerve | 1. To stray; to wander; to rope. "A maid thitherward did run, To catch her sparrow which from her did swerve." (Sir P. Sidney) 2. To go out of a straight line; to deflect. "The point [of the sword] swerved." 3. To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to deviate. "I swerve not from thy commandments." (Bk. Of Com. Prayer) "They swerve from the strict letter of the law." (Clarendon) "Many who, through the contagion of evil example, swerve exceedingly from the rules of their holy religion." (Atterbury) 4. To bend; to incline. "The battle swerved." 5. To climb or move upward by winding or turning. "The tree was high; yet nimbly up from bough to bough I swerved." (Dryden) Origin: OE. Swerven, AS. Sweorfan to wipe off, to file, to polish; akin to OFries. Swerva to creep, D. Zwerven to swerve, to rope, OS. Swerban to wipe off, MHG. Swerben to be whirled, OHG. Swerban to wipe off, Icel. Sverfa to file, Goth. Swairban (in comp) to wipe, and perhaps to E. Swarm. Cf. Swarm. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sweven | A vision seen in sleep; a dream. "I defy both sweven and dream." (Chaucer) Origin: AS. Swefen sleep, dream; akin to swebban, swefian, to put to sleep, to kill. 176. See Somnolent. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swietenia | <botany> A genus of meliaceous trees consisting of one species (Sweitenia Mahogoni), the mahogany tree. Origin: NL. Named after Gerard Van Sweiten, physician to Maria Theresa of Austria. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| swift | 1. The current of a stream. 2. <ornithology> Any one of numerous species of small, long-winged, insectivorous birds of the family Micropodidae. 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. 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 (Chaetura 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 (Chaetura 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, and Tree swift. 3. <zoology> Any one of several species of lizards, as the pine lizard. 4. <zoology> The ghost moth. See 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. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |