- sweat
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I. verb
(sweat or sweated; sweating)
Etymology: Middle English sweten, from Old English swǣtan, from swāt sweat; akin to Old High German sweiz sweat, Latin sudare to sweat, Greek hidrōs sweat
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1.
a. to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands ; perspire
b. to labor or exert oneself so as to cause perspiration
2.
a. to emit or exude moisture <cheese sweats in ripening> b. to gather surface moisture in beads as a result of condensation <stones sweat at night> c. (1) ferment (2) putrefy 3. to undergo anxiety or mental or emotional distress <sweat through final exams> 4. to become exuded through pores or a porous surface ; ooze transitive verb 1. to emit or seem to emit from pores ; exude 2. to manipulate or produce by hard work or drudgery 3. to get rid of or lose (weight) by or as if by sweating or being sweated 4. to make wet with perspiration 5. a. to cause to excrete moisture from the skin b. to drive hard ; overwork c. to exact work from at low wages and under unfair or unhealthful conditions d. slang to give the third degree to 6. to cause to exude or lose moisture; especially to subject (as tobacco leaves) to fermentation 7. a. to extract something valuable from by unfair or dishonest means ; fleece b. to remove particles of metal from (a coin) by abrasion 8. a. to heat (as solder) so as to melt and cause to run especially between surfaces to unite them; also to unite by such means <sweat a pipe joint> b. to heat so as to extract an easily fusible constituent <sweat bismuth ore> c. to sauté in a covered vessel until natural juices are exuded 9. slang to worry about <doesn't sweat the small stuff — Barry McDermott> II. noun Date: 13th century 1. hard work ; drudgery 2. the fluid excreted from the sweat glands of the skin ; perspiration 3. moisture issuing from or gathering in drops on a surface 4. a. the condition of one sweating or sweated b. a spell of sweating 5. a state of anxiety or impatience 6. plural a. sweat suit b. sweatpants
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
