Webster's English Dictionary

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swallow

1. swal.low \'swa:l-(.)o-, -*(-w)\ n [ME swalowe, fr. OE swealwe; akin to 
   OHG swalawa swallow, Rus]s soloveihachek> nightingale 1: any of numerous 
   small long-winged of the world except New Zealand and po lar regions, and 
   feed on insects caught on the wing 2: any of several swifts that 
   superficially resemble swallows 
2. swallow \'swa:l-*-w*r\ vb [ME swalowen, fr. OE swelgan; akin to OHG 
   swelgan to swallow] 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  4: to take back : RETRACT  
   5: to keep from expressing or showing : REPRESS  6: to utter (as words) 
   indistinctly  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.er n
3. swallow n 1: the passage connecting the mouth to the stomach  2: a 
   capacity for swallowing  3a: an act of swallowing  3b: an amount that can 
   be swallowed at one time  4: an aperture in a block on a ship between the 
   sheave and frame through wh ich the rope reeves