English

Alternative forms

• swale

Verb

sweal ‎(third-person singular simple present sweals, present participle swealing, simple past and past participle swealed)

1. (intransitive) To burn slowly.
2. (intransitive) To melt and run down, as the tallow of a candle; waste away without feeding the flame.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Scott to this entry?)

3. (transitive) To singe; scorch; dress (as a hog) with burning or singeing.
4. (transitive, dialectal) To consume with fire; burn.
5. (transitive, dialectal) To make disappear; cause to waste away; diminish; reduce.
   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 13

     Here!—But you know, they can sweal a tumour away.

Anagrams

• lawes, swale, Wales, wales, weals