v. Now dial. Forms: 1 sweltan, 2–4 swelten, (Ormin swelltenn), 4–6 swelte, (4 suelt, squelt, swellte, 5, 8 swalt), 4– swelt. Pa. t. 1 swealt, pl. swulton, Northumb. wk. -suelte, 3 Ormin swallt, pl. swulltenn, 4–5 swalt, swelte, 4–6 suelt, swelt, 4– swelted, (9 sweltit, swilted). Pa. pple. 1 ʓeswolten, 4, 7 swelt, 5 sweltid, 6 swolt, 6– swelted. [Com. Teut. str. vb.: OE. sweltan, pa. t. swealt, swulton, pa. pple. ʓeswolten = OS. sweltan, pa. t. swalt to die, MDu. swelten to faint, die, OHG. swelzan (MHG. swelzen) to burn away, languish, ON. svelta, pa. t. svalt, sultu, pa. pple. soltinn to die, starve, (Sw. svälta, svalt, sultin to die of hunger, Da. sulte to hunger, starve, back-formation f. pa. pple. sulten hungry, dial. svelta, pa. t. svalt, svolt, pa. pple. svolten, svulten, svoltet), Goth. swiltan, pa. t. swalt, swultum, pa. pple. swultans to die.
The Teut. root swelt-: swalt-: swult- appears also in ON. svelta (causative) to put to death, starve, Crim-Gothic swalth death, Goth. swultawaírþja near to death, ON. sultr hunger (MSw. sulter, Da. sult, dial. svolt, svult), OE. swylt (:—*swultiz) death, swyltan to die, and prob. SULTER. It is perhaps a secondary formation on the root swel- to burn slowly (see SWEAL v.). As in other Germanic languages, the word has in ME. the sense of ‘faint, languish,’ which is not, however, recorded for OE.]
I. intr. 1. To die, perish.
Beowulf, 892 (Gr.). Draca morðre swealt.
c. 888. Ælfred, Boeth., x. § 1. Mæneʓum men is leofre pæt he ær self swelte ær he ʓesio his wif & his bearn sweltende.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, iii. 592. Þu scealt sweltan synna and criste lybban. Ibid. (c. 1000), Exod. xxi. 12. Se þe mann þe wundað and wyle hine ofslean swelte he deaðe.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 181. Gief þu etest of þe forbodene trewe, þu shalt adeðe swelte.
c. 1200. Ormin, 5321. Þe Laferrd Cristess posstles, Þatt … forr to reȝȝsenn Crisstenndom, Full bliþelike swulltenn.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 816. For vus he swalt in Ierusalem.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xvii. (Martha), 197. Vith þat scho swelt, & gawe þe gest.
a. 1400. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., 615/111. For to winne al þis werld Þat swelte vndur þe deueles swerd.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10905. With swappis of hor swordes swelt mony knightes.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xxi. 280. My hart is fulle cold nerehand that I swelt.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. Prol. 5. Swownand as he suelt wald.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (Rolls), I. 144. Mony ane swolt and mony fell in swoun. Ibid., II. 661. He slow him self thair suddantlie and suelt.
1794. W. Hutchinson, Hist. Cumbld., I. 220, note. Provincial words: swelting for expiring.
1897. in Eng. Dial. Dict.
2. To be ready to perish with the force of strong emotion, or a fit of sickness; to be overcome, faint, swoon.
In the 16th c. the notion of fainting from the heat of emotion prevailed: cf. 3.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 242. Sorwe it was to se, Þat leuedi swelted swiþe.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4268. Sche swelt for sorwe & swoned rit þere.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 347. His olde wo þat made his here to swelte.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8319. With Swym vnder swerd swalton full mony.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 38. Aboute his hert he thoughte he gan to swelt.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour, xxxiv. God … sent the ladi suche a sodein sikenesse that she swalt there she stode, and that no man wost whedir she shulde leue or deye.
c. 1480. Henryson, Mor. Fab., Fox, Wolf & Cadger, xxxiii. He … hit him with sic will vpoun the heid, Quhill neir he swonit and swalt [v.r. swelt].
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., III. (1593), 70. I do both set on fire, And am the same that swelteth too through impotent desire.
1575. Gascoigne, Dan Bartholomew, Wks. 1907, I. 109. When absent Troylus did in sorowes swelt.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. vii. 9. Her deare hart nigh swelt, And eft gan into tender teares to melt.
a. 1643. W. Cartwright, Ordinary, III. i. I swelt here as I go; Brenning in fire of little Cupido.
1691. Nicholson, in Ray, N. C. Words, 149. To Swelt, deficere, to Sownd.
1703. Eliz. West, in Mem. (1865), 216. I was in such an extreme trouble that … vent it must have, or then I must swelt.
1836. M. Mackintosh, Cottager’s Daughter, 99. When she heard that she sweltit at their feet.
1850. Tales of Kirkbeck, Ser. II. 197. I felt sae sick and unsattled, an’ then a’ at ance I clean swilted awa.
3. To be overpowered or faint with heat; to suffer oppressive heat, swelter, ‘melt.’ † Also refl.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 516. Wel litel thynken ye … That for youre loue I swete ther I go, No wonder is thogh that I swelte and swete.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 9278. Many on swalt In his owne gres.
a. 1500. Flower & Leaf (Skeat), 360. The ladies eek to-brent … The Knightes swelt, for lak of shade ny shent.
1583. Melbancke, Philotimus, E e j. Here did Philotimus that swet and swelted almost, sette himselfe to refreshe his weakned limmes.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. v. 271. In a cold sweat, shaking, and swelt almost.
1600. Morley, Madrigals to fovre Voices, xvii. Soft a while, not away so fast, they melt them. Piper! Piper! Piper! Be hang’d a while knaue, looke, the dauncers swelt them.
1614. Gorges, Lucan, I. 39. The Fire would then the Earth haue melt, And with thy flames the heau’ns haue swelt.
1768. Ross, Helenore, II. 82. Wi’ faut an’ heat I just was like to swelt, An’ in a very blob o’ sweat to melt.
1820. Keats, Isabella, xiv. And for them many a weary hand did swelt In torched mines and noisy factories.
† b. To burn or rage as with fever. Obs.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. vii. 6. Till … chearefull bloud in faintnesse chill did melt, Which like a feuer fit through all his body swelt. Ibid., III. xi. 27. With huge impatience he inly swelt.
† 4. To exude with heat. Obs.
c. 1530. Judic. Urines, I. ii. 2. All the Iuce and all the humydyte sweteth and swelteth oute of hym to the lyuer. Ryght as mylke swelteth & sweteth oute of the koowes body in to the vdder.
1614. Gorges, Lucan, X. 445. Each where the pitch and tarte that melts Amongst the timbers burning swelts.
† b. To be oppressive with heat, swelter. Obs.
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Anagrams & Sonn., Wks. II. 256. The dogged dog daies now with heat doe swelt.
† 5. ? To welter, wallow (fig.). Obs.
1575. Gascoigne, Dan Bartholomew, Wks. 1907, I. 105. When he thought his hap to be most hye,… And that he swelt in all prosperitie.
II. trans. † 6. To cause to perish. Obs.
Perhaps partly ad. ON. svelta, causative of svelta; but cf. FORSWELT 2.
13[?]. K. Alis., 7559 (Linc. Inn MS.). To brenne brout and to beo swelt.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 332. Þis meyny of aȝte I schal saue of monnez saulez, and swelt þose oþer.
7. To overheat, broil, scorch; to oppress or overwhelm with heat; also in fig. phr. to swelt one’s heart, to exert oneself to the utmost. Now dial.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 3790. Alle ware þai swollen of þe swete & sweltid on þe son.
1555. Watreman, Fardle Facions, I. vi. 98. When thei see the Locustes come … thei set al on fire, and so swelte theim in the passyng ouer, that thei … fall to the grounde.
1584. R. Wilson, Three Ladies Lond., I. C j. He shall neuer haue better eating fellowes if hee woulde swelte his hart.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, Wks. 1905, III. 221. Let the cunningest lickespiggot swelt his heart out, the beere shal neuer foame or froath in the cupp.
1608. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iv. III. Schism, 413. Not a breath is felt, But hectick Auster’s, which doth all things swelt.
1651. Bp. Hall, Soliloquies, lxxiv. Is the Sun to be blamed that the Travellers cloak swelts him with heat?
1684. Meriton, Yorks. Dial., 525 (E.D.S.). If we sud swelt our hearts, it will nut deau.
1811. Willan, in Archaeologia, XVII. 160 (W. Riding Words), Swelted, overcome with heat and perspiration.
1886. S. W. Linc. Gloss., s.v., It’s so hot it’s fit to swelt you.
