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swink - What does it mean?

Definition of 'swink'

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) swink, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (archaic) toil, work, drudgery
  • * 1963 , , Inside Mr. Enderby :
    • Dead on this homecoming cue Jack came home, his hands sheerfree of salesman’s swink , ready for Enderby.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) swinken, from (etyl) . Related to (l).

    Verb

  • (archaic) to labour, to work hard
  • * 14th century ,
    • Heremites on an heep · with hoked staues,
    Wenten to Walsyngham · and here wenches after;
    Grete lobyes and longe · that loth were to swynke,
    Clotheden hem in copis · to be knowen fram othere;
    And shopen hem heremites · here ese to haue.
  • * Spenser
    • for which men swink and sweat incessantly
  • * 1922 , :
    • And on this board were frightful swords and knives that are made in a great cavern by swinking demons out of white flames that they fix in the horns of buffalos and stags that there abound marvellously.
  • (archaic) To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor.
  • * Milton
    • And the swinked hedger at his supper sat.
    Derived terms
    * (l)

    References

    * http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dict.asp?Word=swink * http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=swink

    Anagrams

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    Similar to 'swink'

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