v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Swealed p. pr. & vb. n. Swealing. ] [ OE. swelen to burn, AS. swelan; akin to G. schwelen to burn slowly, schwül sultry, Icel. svaela a thick smoke. ] To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; to waste away without feeding the flame. [ Written also swale. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To singe; to scorch; to swale; as, to sweal a pig by singeing off the hair. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To utter or affirm with a solemn appeal to God for the truth of the declaration; to make (a promise, threat, or resolve) under oath. [ 1913 Webster ]

Swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me. Gen. xxi. 23. [ 1913 Webster ]

He swore consent to your succession. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) To put to an oath; to cause to take an oath; to administer an oath to; -- ofetn followed by in or into; as, to swear witnesses; to swear a jury; to swear in an officer; he was sworn into office. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To declare or charge upon oath; as, he swore treason against his friend. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To appeal to by an oath. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now, by Apollo, king,
Thou swear'st thy gods in vain. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To swear the peace against one, to make oath that one is under the actual fear of death or bodily harm from the person, in which case the person must find sureties that he will keep the peace. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. Swore formerly Sware p. p. Sworn p. pr. & vb. n. Swearing. ] [ OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwören, Icel. sverja, Sw. svärja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. √177. Cf. Answer. ] 1. To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed; to make a promise, threat, or resolve on oath; also, to affirm solemnly by some sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the Bible, the Koran, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ye shall swear by my name falsely. Lev. xix. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

I swear by all the Roman gods. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) To give evidence on oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement; he swore against the prisoner. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To make an appeal to God in an irreverant manner; to use the name of God or sacred things profanely; to call upon God in imprecation; to curse. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ I ] swore little; diced not above seven times a week. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To swear by, to place great confidence in a person or thing; to trust implicitly as an authority. “I simply meant to ask if you are one of those who swear by Lord Verulam.” Miss Edgeworth. --
To swear off, to make a solemn vow, or a serious resolution, to abstain from something; as, to swear off smoking. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who swears; one who calls God to witness for the truth of his declaration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A profane person; one who uses profane language. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then the liars and swearers are fools. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Swear, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

Idle swearing is a cursedness. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To cause to excrete moisture from the skin; to cause to perspire; as, his physicians attempted to sweat him by most powerful sudorifics. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To emit or suffer to flow from the pores; to exude. [ 1913 Webster ]

It made her not a drop for sweat. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

With exercise she sweat ill humors out. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To unite by heating, after the application of soldier. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To get something advantageous, as money, property, or labor from (any one), by exaction or oppression; as, to sweat a spendthrift; to sweat laborers. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To sweat coin, to remove a portion of a piece of coin, as by shaking it with others in a bag, so that the friction wears off a small quantity of the metal. [ 1913 Webster ]

The only use of it [ money ] which is interdicted is to put it in circulation again after having diminished its weight by “sweating”, or otherwise, because the quantity of metal contains is no longer consistent with its impression. R. Cobden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Sweat or Sweated (Obs. Swat ; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweating. ] [ OE. sweten, AS. swaetan, fr. swāt, n., sweat; akin to OFries. & OS. swēt, D. zweet, OHG. sweiz, G. schweiss, Icel. sviti, sveiti, Sw. svett, Dan. sved, L. sudor sweat, sudare to sweat, Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, sweat, &unr_; to sweat, Skr. svēda sweat, svid to sweat. √178. Cf. Exude, Sudary, Sudorific. ] 1. To excrete sensible moisture from the pores of the skin; to perspire. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: To perspire in toil; to work hard; to drudge. [ 1913 Webster ]

He 'd have the poets sweat. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To emit moisture, as green plants in a heap. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OE. swot, AS. swāt. See Sweat, v. i. ] 1. (Physiol.) The fluid which is excreted from the skin of an animal; the fluid secreted by the sudoriferous glands; a transparent, colorless, acid liquid with a peculiar odor, containing some fatty acids and mineral matter; perspiration. See Perspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Gen. iii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of sweating; or the state of one who sweats; hence, labor; toil; drudgery. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Moisture issuing from any substance; as, the sweat of hay or grain in a mow or stack. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The sweating sickness. [ Obs. ] Holinshed. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Man.) A short run by a race horse in exercise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sweat box (Naut.), a small closet in which refractory men are confined. --
Sweat glands (Anat.), sudoriferous glands. See under Sudoriferous. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who sweats. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who, or that which, causes to sweat; as: (a) A sudorific. (b) A woolen jacket or jersey worn by athletes. (c) An employer who oppresses his workmen by paying low wages. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]