sweal

sweal

A candle sweals on the mantelpiece.

Definition

  1. Verb (transitive, dialectal):

    • To burn or scorch: "sweal" means to set fire to something, to burn lightly, or to singe. It is often used in regional or older English contexts.
    • To melt or run: In reference to a candle, "sweal" can mean to melt or drip wax as it burns.

  2. Verb (intransitive, dialectal):

    • To burn away: Used for a candle that melts and flows down as it burns.
    • To waste away: Figuratively, to diminish or consume gradually.

  3. Noun (US, regional):

    • A low, marshy area: In American dialect, "sweal" can refer to a piece of low-lying, swampy ground.
Usage Examples

  • Verb (to burn):

    • He used a torch to sweal the dry grass in the field. (He set fire to the dry grass to clear it.)
    • The blacksmith carefully swealed the edge of the iron to harden it. (He lightly scorched the iron's edge.)

  • Verb (to melt):

    • The candle began to sweal, leaving a pool of wax on the table. (The candle melted and dripped.)

  • Noun (marshy ground):

    • The cattle grazed near the sweal, where the ground was soft and wet. (The cattle were in the low, swampy area.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to sweal away": to disappear gradually through burning or melting.

    • The old candle swealed away until only a stub remained. (It burned down slowly.)

  • "sweal of the land": a term used in some US regions for a wet, low-lying field.

    • Farmers avoid planting crops in the sweal because it floods easily. (They avoid the marshy area.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Swealing (adj): describing something that is burning or melting slowly.

    • The swealing candle lit the room with a faint glow. (The candle was burning and melting.)

  • Sweal (variant spelling): sometimes spelled "sweel" in older texts.

    • The old manuscript used "sweel" to mean "to burn." (It is an alternative spelling.)
Synonyms
  • For the verb "to burn": singe, scorch, char, sear.
  • For the verb "to melt": drip, run, liquefy.
  • For the noun "marshy ground": swamp, bog, fen, marsh.
Phrasal Verbs

  • Sweal over: to burn or spread across a surface.

    • The fire swealed over the dry leaves quickly. (The fire spread and burned the leaves.)

  • Sweal down: to melt or burn downward.

    • The wax swealed down the side of the candle. (The wax dripped down.)
Related Idioms
  • To sweal the candle at both ends: a rare, dialectal idiom meaning to overwork or exhaust oneself, similar to "burn the candle at both ends."
    • He swealed the candle at both ends, working day and night. (He exhausted himself through overwork.)