Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†SWELT, v.2, n.2. Also swalt (Ork.); and altered form swert (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1908 Jak. (1928)). [swɛlt; Sh. + swɛrt]
I. v. To swallow, gulp, to snap at with the mouth, as a hungry fish at bait (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 214, 1908 Jak. (1928); Ork. 1929 Marw., swalt).
II. n. As much as one can swallow, a bellyful, gen. of drink (Ork. 1929 Marw.).
[An alteration of *swelk, Norw. dial., O.N. svelgja, id., partly under the influence of Swelt, v.1 (see swalk, ib.), partly poss. from Norw. dial. reduced forms pa.t. svolde, pa.p. svolt, svølt, svelt.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Swelt v.2, n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/swelt_v2_n2>
