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Origin and history of swill

swill(v.)

Middle English swillen, from Old English swilian, swillan "wash (something) out, swirl (liquid, in a container), gargle," probably from Proto-Germanic *swil-, which is related to the root of swallow (v.). The meaning "drink greedily" is attested from 1530s. Related: Swilled; swilling.

swill(n.)

1550s, "liquid kitchen refuse fed to pigs, liquid food for animals," from swill (v.). As a contemptuous word for "drink, liquor," especially when drunk to excess, by c. 1600.

also from 1550s

Entries linking to swill

swallow(v.)

"ingest through the throat" (transitive), Middle English swolwen, from Old English swelgan "swallow, imbibe, absorb" (class III strong verb; past tense swealg, past participle swolgen), from Proto-Germanic *swelgan/*swelhan (source also of Old Saxon farswelgan, Old Norse svelgja "to swallow," Middle Dutch swelghen, Dutch zwelgen "to gulp, swallow," Old High German swelahan "to swallow," German schwelgen "to revel"). This is held to be from PIE root *swel- (1) "to eat, drink" (source also of Iranian *khvara- "eating").

As "drown, engulf" (of the sea, the grave, etc.) by late 12c. The figurative sense of "consume, destroy" is attested from mid-14c. The meaning "accept (belief, opinion, statement) without question, take into the mind readily and credulously" is from 1590s. The intransitive sense "perform the act of swallowing" is from c. 1700. Related: Swallowed; swallowing.

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    c. 1400, "mudhole, puddle," probably from Old English -sloppe "dung" (in plant name cusloppe, literally "cow dung"), related to slyppe "slime" (from PIE root *sleubh- "to slide, slip"). The meaning "semi-liquid food" is by 1650s; that of "refuse liquid of any kind, household liqu
    carouse
    "to drink freely and revel noisily," 1550s, from French carousser "drink, quaff, swill," from German gar aus "quite out,"...
    provender
    c. 1300, provendre, "allowance paid each chapter member of a cathedral," from Anglo-French provendir, Old French provendier "provider; recipient, beneficiary," from Gallo-Roman *provenda, altered (by influence of Latin providere "supply") from Late Latin praebenda "allowance, sub
    give
    Old English giefan (West Saxon) "to give, bestow, deliver to another; allot, grant; commit, devote, entrust," class V strong verb (past tense geaf, past participle giefen), from Proto-Germanic *geban (source also of Old Frisian jeva, Middle Dutch gheven, Dutch geven, Old High Ger
    feed
    Old English fedan "nourish, give food to, sustain, foster" (transitive), from Proto-Germanic *fodjan (source also of Old Saxon fodjan, Old Frisian feda, Dutch voeden, Old High German fuotan, Old Norse foeða, Gothic fodjan "to feed"), from PIE root *pa- "to feed." Intransitive sen
    drink
    Old English drincan "to swallow water or other fluid," also "to swallow up, engulf" (class III strong verb; past tense dranc, past participle druncen), from Proto-Germanic *drenkanan (source also of Old Saxon drinkan, Old Frisian drinka, Dutch drinken, Old High German trinkan, Ge
    down
    "in a descending direction, from a higher to a lower place, degree, or condition," late Old English shortened form of Old English ofdune "downwards," originally of dune "off from (the) hill," from dune "from the hill," dative of dun "hill" (see down (n.2)). The "hill" word is gen
    hangover
    also hang-over, 1894, "a survival, a thing left over from before," from hang (v.) + over. Meaning "after-effect of excessive drinking" is attested by 1902, American English, on notion of something left over from the night before. As an adjective, in reference to a person, overhun
    identity
    c. 1600, "sameness, oneness, state of being the same," from French identité (14c.), from Medieval Latin identitatem (nominative identitas) "sameness," ultimately from Latin idem (neuter) "the same" (see idem). [For discussion of Latin formation, see entry in OED.] Earlier form of

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