swallows

Noun (1)

swallow (countable and uncountable, plural swallows)

1. The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
   • He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.
2. (archaic) A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
3. (archaic) The mouth and throat; that which is used for swallowing; the gullet.
   • The door burst wide open, and he saw nothing but a gaping jaw extending from the threshold up to the lintel. "There is a mouthful for you," said the youngster, and threw the pauper boy into the swallow; "taste that! But let me see now who you are! Perhaps you are an old acquaintance?" And so it...1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 103
4. The opening in a pulley block between the sheave and shell through which the rope passes.
   • In addition, j-lock shackles can pass through the swallow of a modern genoa track even with a sheet in tension already there, and this is very useful when preparing a sail change on the same tack.2008, Danilo Fabbroni, Rigging: Rig Your Boat Right for Racing or Cruising
5. (Nigeria) Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing, commonly paired and eaten with various types of soup.

Noun (2)

swallow (plural swallows)

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.

   Synonyms:

   martin

See all 16 meanings of swallow