[swal.low] n [ME swalowe, fr. OE swealwe; akin to OHG swalawa swallow] (bef. 12c) 1: any of numerous small widely distributed oscine birds (family Hirundinidae) that have a short bill, long pointed wings, and often a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught on the wing
2: any of several swifts that superficially resemble swallows
[2]swallow vb [ME swalowen, fr. OE swelgan; akin to OHG swelgan to swallow] vt (bef. 12c) 1: to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach
2: to envelop or take in as if by swallowing: absorb
3: to accept without question, protest, or resentment "~ an insult" "a hard story to ~"
4: take back, retract "had to ~ my words"
5: to keep from expressing or showing: repress "~ed my anger"
6: to utter (as words) indistinctly ~ vi 1: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus
2: to perform the action characteristic of swallowing something esp. under emotional stress -- swal.low.able adj -- swal.low.er n [3]swallow n (14c) 1: the passage connecting the mouth to the stomach
2: a capacity for swallowing 3 a: an act of swallowing b: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
4: an aperture in a block on a ship between the sheave and frame through which the rope reeves