ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sweat

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary US //ˈswɛt// UK //swˈɛt// sweat Archaic Informal Slang

n. the salty liquid that comes out of your skin when you are hot or nervous. In cooking, it can also mean the moisture that comes out of vegetables when you cook them slowly with a little oil.

n. moisture exuded through the pores of the skin in response to heat, physical exertion, or stress. In a culinary context, it refers to the liquid released by ingredients, such as vegetables, when heated slowly in a small amount of fat.


SIMPLE

He wiped the sweat from his forehead after the long run.

CONTEXTUAL

The recipe says to cook the onions until they release their sweat but do not turn brown.

COMPLEX

The intense humidity of the tropical afternoon caused beads of sweat to form instantly, making even the simplest physical tasks feel like a monumental struggle.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English swete, swet, swate, swote, from Old English swāt, from Proto-Germanic swait-, swaitą, from Proto-Indo-European swoyd- (“to sweat”), o-grade of sweyd- (“to sweat”). Cognate with West Frisian swit, Dutch zweet, German Schweiß, Danish sved, Swedish svett, Yiddish שוויצן (shvitsn) (English shvitz), Latin sudor, French sueur, Italian sudore, Spanish sudor, Persian خوی (xway, “sweat”), Sanskrit स्वेद (svéda), Lithuanian sviedri, Tocharian B syā-, Albanian djersë, and Welsh chwys.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sweten, from Old English swǣtan, from Proto-Germanic *swaitijaną (“to sweat”). Compare Dutch zweten, German schwitzen, Danish svede. Doublet of shvitz.

Usage

Usually uncountable when referring to the liquid generally; 'sweats' (plural) typically refers to a state of sweating or to casual clothing like sweatpants.

Pitfall

He was covered in sweatsHe was covered in sweatThe liquid itself is uncountable; the plural 'sweats' usually refers to a feverish state or clothing.

Idioms8 entries

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