† swote 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. sweiȥ str. m. (G. schweiss), ON. sveiti wk. m. (MSw. svet(t)e, Sw. svett, Da. sved):—OTeut. *swait-:—Indo-eur. *swoid-, whence also Skr. svḗdas, L. sūdor (:—*swoidos). From the weak grade of the same root are Skr. sv{iacu}dyate to sweat, Arm. khirtn sweat, Gr. ἱδρώς, OHG. suiȥȥan (MHG. switzen, G. schwitzen) to sweat, W. chwŷs 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 n. 2.
| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxvii. 268 Ðær wæs swiðe swiðlic ᵹeswinc, & 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 n. 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 n. 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 xxiiij{supt}{suph} of this monethe. |
3. fig. = sweat n. 9.
Usually in collocation with swink (= labour); orig. denoting the actual sweating accompanying labour, with special reference to Gen. iii. 19.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 59 On hungre, & on þurste, and on cyle he bið afeded, on ᵹewinne & 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. |