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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Swallow: Definition, Usage & Bird Meaning Explained (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：to ingest through the throat (swallow)

swallow 🔊

/ˈswɒləʊ/

To make food or drink go down your throat from your mouth into your stomach.

Swallow action diagram showing throat movement while drinking water

to ingest through the throat 🔊

➕

/tuː ɪnˈdʒɛst θruː ðə θrəʊt/

The physical action of moving food or liquid from the mouth into the stomach via the throat.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'swelgan' meaning to swallow, ingest. Common in Germanic languages.

💡 Mnemonic

A SWALLOW bird SWALLOWs insects mid-flight. Picture it gulping air and food.

📖 Example

The pill was too big, so I had to take a huge sip of water to help me swallow it. 🔊 The tablet's size was excessive, forcing me to drink a large amount of water to facilitate its passage down my throat.

🔗 Collocations

swallow hard – to gulp, usually due to nervousness or strong emotion

swallow your pride – to accept something humiliating or embarrassing

swallow up – to envelop or consume something completely

🔄 Synonyms

ingest (v.) – to take food or drink into the body

gulp (v.) – to swallow quickly or in large amounts

consume (v.) – to eat or drink something

🚫 Antonyms

regurgitate (v.) – to bring swallowed food back into the mouth

vomit (v.) – to eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

🌱 Derivatives

swallowable (adj.) – capable of being swallowed

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'swallow' (v.) has cognates across Germanic languages, pointing to a deep Indo-European root related to consuming. The bird name is from the same Old English root, perhaps due to its swift, gulping flight. In folklore, the returning swallow is a powerful harbinger of spring.

Meaning 2：a type of migratory bird (swallow)

swallow 🔊

/ˈswɒləʊ/

A small bird with a forked tail, dark blue back and pale underside, known for migrating long distances.

Swallow bird in flight with forked tail against a blue sky

a type of migratory bird 🔊

➕

/ə taɪp ɒv ˈmaɪɡrətri bɜːd/

A small, agile bird with pointed wings and often a forked tail, famous for its long seasonal migrations.

📁 Category：Animal Protection 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The return of the swallow is often seen as a sign that spring has truly arrived in the countryside. 🔊 The reappearance of the migratory bird is frequently interpreted as a definitive indicator of spring's commencement in rural areas.

🔗 Collocations

barn swallow – a common species of swallow with a deeply forked tail

swallow dive – a graceful forward dive with arms spread wide

one swallow does not make a summer – a proverb meaning one positive sign does not guarantee success

🔄 Synonyms

martin (n.) – a bird of the same family as swallows, often with a less forked tail

swift (n.) – a similar fast-flying bird with long, curved wings