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Swallow vs Sallow - What's the difference?

swallow | sallow |

As nouns the difference between swallow and sallow

is that swallow is (archaic) a deep chasm or abyss in the earth or swallow can be 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 while sallow is a european willow, salix caprea , that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.

As a verb swallow

is to cause (food, drink etc) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.

As an adjective sallow is

(lb) yellowish skin colour .

swallow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) swolowen, swolwen, . See also (l). The noun is from late (etyl) , from the verb.

Alternative forms

* (l), (l) (obsolete)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4:
    • What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.
  • * 2011 , Jonathan Jones, The Guardian , 21 Apr 2011:
    • Clothes are to be worn and food is to be swallowed : they remain trapped in the physical world.
  • To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
  • * John Locke
    • The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.
  • * 2010 , "What are the wild waves saying", The Economist , 28 Oct 2010:
    • His body, like so many others swallowed by the ocean’s hungry maw, was never found.
  • To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
    • My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow .
  • * 1979 , VC Andrews, Flowers in the Attic :
    • She swallowed nervously then, appearing near sick with what she had to say.
  • To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Though that story be not so readily swallowed .
  • * 2011 , Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian , 22 Apr 2011:
    • Americans swallowed his tale because they wanted to.
  • To engross; to appropriate; usually with up .
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Homer excels in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him.
  • To retract; to recant.
    • to swallow one's opinions
  • * Shakespeare
    • swallowed his vows whole
  • To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
    • to swallow an affront or insult
    Derived terms
    * bitter pill to swallow * swallowable * swallow one's pride * swallow up

    See also

    * dysphagia

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
  • The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
    • He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.

    Etymology 2

    (wikipedia swallow) (etyl) swealwe, from Germanic. Cognate with Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • 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.
  • (nautical) The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.
    • Synonyms
    * (small bird of Hirundunudae) martlet * barn swallow (official British name)
    Derived terms
    * one swallow does not make a summer * swallow-tailed

    Anagrams

    * wallows

    sallow

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) salowe, from (etyl) salu, from (etyl) ).

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (lb) Yellowish skin colour.
  • # Of a sickly pale colour.
  • #*
  • #*:Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.
  • #(lb) Of a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia.
  • #*2007 , David McWilliams, " We must begin the culture debate", 23 December:
  • #*:The girls are mostly Slavic-pretty, long-limbed with high cheekbones, sallow skin and green eyes. They are the closest thing to supermodels that Mulhuddart has ever seen.
  • #*2012 , Aisling, " Am I pink or yellow? How to choose the right foundation tone. And what is the deal with Mac foundations?" beaut.ie (17 January):
  • #*:A yellow undertone is often found on people with sallow skin – e.g. Asian.
  • #*2012 , Billy Keane, " I feel so much for Mickey. Maybe there is peace for him in sport", Irish Independent (13 June):
  • #*:She had such lovely sallow skin, the handsome high cheekbones of the north with the brown conker-colour eyes and the dark silken hair.
  • Dirty; murky.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) salwe, from (etyl) sealh, from (etyl) (compare Welsh helyg, Latin salix), probably originally a borrowing from some other language.

    Noun

    (wikipedia sallow) (en noun)
  • A European willow, Salix caprea , that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
  • *1819 , Keats, :
  • *:Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
  • *:Among the river sallows , borne aloft
  • *:Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
  • Willow twigs.
  • * (and other bibliographic details) Fawkes
    • Bend the pliant sallow to a shield.
  • * (and other bibliographic details) Emerson
    • The sallow knows the basketmaker's thumb.
    Derived terms
    * ) * sallow flute

    Anagrams

    *