Obs. Forms: 1, 3–5 swat, 3 (Lay.) swæt, sweot, 1, 3–5 swot, 4 (Ayenb.) zuot, 4–5 swote, swoot, soot, sot, 5 sote. β. north. 4–6, 8 swat, 6 swatt, Sc. swait. [Com. Teut. (wanting in Gothic): OE. swát str. n. = OS., OFris., LG. swêt, (M)Du. zweet, OHG., MHG. sweiʓ str. m. (G. schweiss), ON. sveiti wk. m. (MSw. svet(t)e, Sw. suett, Da. sved):—OTeut. *swait-:—Indo-eur. *swoid-, whence also Skr. svédas, L. sūdor (:—*swoidos). From the weak grade of the same root are Skr. svídyate to sweat, Arm. khirtn sweat, Gr. ἱδρώς, OHG. suiʓʓan (MHG. switzen, G. schwitzen) to sweat, W. chaŷs sweat, Lett. swidri (pl.). In several of the Germanic languages the word has the twofold signification of sweat and blood; the second survives in G. hunting parlance.]
1. = SWEAT sb. 2.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xxxvii. 268. Ðær wæs swiðe swiðlic ʓeswinc, & ðær wæs micel swat agoten.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. iii. 19 (Gr.). On swate þines and wlitan þu bricst þines hlafes.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xxii. 44. His swat wæs swylce blodes dropan on eorðan yrnende.
c. 1205. Lay., 7489. He swonc i þon fehte Þat al he lauede asweote [c. 1275 a swote].
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 112. Þet ilke blodi swot of his blisfule bodie.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 364. In swinc ðu salt tilen ði meten, Ðin bred wid swotes teres eten.
c. 1300. Havelok, 2662. [Þei] fouhten so þei woren wode, Þat þe swot ran fro þe crune.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 719. Þay smyte to gadre þo so feste … Þat þe soot fram hem gan breste.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Can. Yeom. Prol. & T., 25. A Clote leef he hadde vnder his hood For swoot.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 197. Also her breeþ wole stynke & her sotes.
c. 1430. Lydg., Venus-Mass, in Lay Folks Mass Bk., App. v. 394. To wypen away the soot of myn inportable labour.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 313/2. Goo to fraunceys and saye to hym that he selle to the a penyworthe of his swote.
β. 1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 613. That all thair flesche of swat wes wete.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., III. i. 90. He wes all for rynnyng hat, And oure drawkit all with swat.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. viii. 115. Our all his body bristing furth did creip The warm swait.
2. = SWEAT sb. 3.
c. 1205. Lay., 17803. Þene king … lai on sweouete & on muchele swate.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 292, in O. E. Misc., 120. If heo ofte a swote for-swunke were.
1340. Ayenb., 31. Hi hedden leuere lyese vour messen þanne ane zuot oþer ane slep.
c. 1400. Beryn, 493. He cauȝt a cardiakill & a cold sot.
c. 1425. Cast. Persev., 1227, in Macro Plays, 114. Men lofe wel now to lyë stylle, In bedde to take a þorowe swot.
b. = SWEAT sb. 3 b.
1481. Caxton, Godfrey, lxvii. 111. The heete, and also the swote destroyed them.
1551. in Archaeologia (1860), XXXVIII. 107, June, 1551. The Swatt called new acquyrtance alles Stoupe knave and know thy Master began the xxiiijth of this monethe.
3. fig. = SWEAT sb. 9.
Usually in collocation with swink (= labor); orig. denoting the actual sweating accompanying labor, with special reference to Gen. iii. 19.
971. Blickl. Hom., 59. On hungre, & on þurste, and on cyle he bið afeded, on ʓewinne & on swate he leofaþ.
c. 1275. Lay., 2281. Moni swinc mani swot [c. 1205 swæt] … þolede ich in velde.
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 200. In swynk and swot in world to liue.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIV. xlix. (Tollem. MS.). Þe felde is a place of besinesse, of trauayle, and of swot.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 66. Þer þay schulden … gete hor mete wyth labour and swot.
