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swelter

[ swel-ter ]
/ ˈswɛl tər /
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See synonyms for: swelter / sweltered / sweltering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to suffer from oppressive heat.
verb (used with object)
to oppress with heat.
Archaic. to exude, as venom.
noun
a sweltering condition.
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Origin of swelter

1375–1425; late Middle English swelt(e)ren (v.), equivalent to swelt(en) to be overcome with heat (Old English sweltan to die; cognate with Old Norse svelta,Gothic swiltan) + -eren-er6

OTHER WORDS FROM swelter

un·swel·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swelter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swelter

swelter
/ (ˈswɛltə) /

verb
(intr) to suffer under oppressive heat, esp to sweat and feel faint
(tr) archaic to exude (venom)
(tr) rare to cause to suffer under oppressive heat
noun
a sweltering condition (esp in the phrase in a swelter)
oppressive humid heat

Word Origin for swelter

C15 swelten, from Old English sweltan to die; related to Old Norse svelta to starve, Old High German swelzan to burn with passion; see sultry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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