Swallow
/ˈswɒl.oʊ/noun
To cause something to pass from the mouth into the stomach; also, a small migratory bird with a forked tail.
Did you know?The bird name and the verb are historically separate: the bird “swallow” comes from Old English *swealwe*, while the verb goes back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning “to gulp down,” a reminder that English loves hiding two different origins inside one spell-like word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swelaną
“to swallow, gulp down”
Old English
OE
swelgan
“to swallow, devour”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swalwǭ
“swallow (the bird)”
Old English
OE
swealwe
“swallow (the bird)”
Middle English
ME
swolwen / swalowen
“to swallow”
Modern English
English
swallow
“to cause food or drink to pass down the throat; also a bird of the family Hirundinidae”